If Only You Knew
by floodmaster16
Summary: She never thought much about it. After all, she had so much to achieve, so much to learn... but sometimes she can't help but feel lonely. Maybe shifting a small amount of her attention to it... yes, maybe that could do it...
1. Prologue

**Hello, people. I'm, kindda, sortta new to this fandom, but I have some experience in this site, so... I came up with idea a week ago, it's going to be a full story, not a one-shot, so reviews will help. Anyways, I'm rambli around so let's just get to it:**

Torrington Academy, located in Sherbrook, Quebec, was unusually peaceful. Anyone would have thought that there was something wrong, maybe an alien or monster attack, but the truth was far simpler: it was Christmas. Or it was a couple of days until Christmas, to be precise. While everyone was away enjoying their holidays with family, a certain blonde teen and his step-sister were stranded inside the academy, cursing their luck that they had, once again, been forced to spend Christmas away from their parents.

"I'm dying of BOREDOM!" the blond boy nearly yelled, the sound echoing in the empty cafeteria. He slammed his face on the table, yelping quietly at the slight pain he felt when he struck the hard surface. A soft giggle came from across the table, momentarily breaking the peace.

"Yeah, laugh all you want Di, but it doesn't change the fact that we are stuck in the worst place possible, and in Christmas, just to make it worse!"

A long sigh answered him, and this time Diana Lombard had to admit her annoying step-brother was actually right. Their time at Torrington was an ordeal that she never expected to be suffering, much less when she was forced to go through it with someone she really wasn't very fond off.

"I never thought I would say this, but you are right, Martin. I used to love the idea of spending a holiday at Torrington, but now that I'm here…" she trailed off, sinking her head in her hands. They could listen the happy humming coming from Java as he prepared the day's lunch. They both mulled over the unnecessary effort he put into it, since they were practically the only living souls around, and none of them ate too much.

"At least Java is enjoying all this, even if I do not share his enthusiasm"

"Yeah, I guess so. But you know what ticks me off even more? That M.O.M. didn't even invited us to spend Christmas at The Center. After all, last year wasn't so bad." Martin said, minimizing the near-catastrophic event that happened almost one year ago.

"Not so bad?! Your carelessness nearly turned us into freaks, Martin! I think that qualifies as 'bad'! No wonder M.O.M. decided to keep us away, she doesn't want to be forced to sing every time she tries to say anything." Diana snapped, slightly irritated.

"Come on! I saved us, and I even promised I wouldn't do any last-minute Christmas shopping! What else do I have to do to get some credibility around here?" Martin huffed, annoyed by the fact that his sister couldn't just forget what had happened last Christmas.

"You could start by not destroying my office every time you step on it, agent Mystery". Both brothers and the caveman turned to see a very familiar person standing in the entrance to the cafeteria.

"M.O.M.!" they all exclaimed excitedly. She hadn't forgotten about them, after all.

"You didn't really think I was going to leave you here on your own, did you, agents?" the head of The Center smirked, her arms crossed in front of her.

"Well, considering what happened last year…" Diana started, full-intent on annoying Martin. The blond teen simply fumed and glared harshly at her. M.O.M. shook her head sideways, smiling at the childish display in front of her. _Exactly how did they become our top agents?_

"Regardless of what happened a year ago," she interrupted, glaring at Martin herself, "I'm not a heartless person. Besides, we've taken measures to make sure that it won't happen again"

"Like?" Diana asked, heavily perplexed. M.O.M. casually showed the group a small wallet, with a decent amount of currency, and very familiar to Martin.

"Hey… that's my wallet! M.O.M.!"

"Like I said, measures, agent Mystery. Now come on, the rest of the personnel is helping put u the decorations, with a few extra hands we'll be ready for tomorrow"

"Java makes lunch, what do with it?"

"Why don't you bring it to The Center, I'm sure the agents working in the decorations are hungry, right, M.O.M.?" Martin suggested, already eager to eat whatever Java had been cooking for the past half-an-hour. His mouth was watering already at the thought of food.

"Indeed, they could use lunch, Java, and I understand that you have quite a talent for food preparation"

"Java good cook, he thinks"

"Yes, yes, yes, come on, let's go, I can't stand being here a minute more!" Diana finally snapped, the loneliness of Torrington finally getting to her. Everyone looked at her with raised eyebrows, which caused her to rub the back of her head while giving an awkward smile, "Sorry… I guess being trapped in here doesn't do me much good".

"You think?" Martin finally rebukes, crossing through the portal that M.O.M. had just opened behind her. The rest of the group followed suit, the manager being last, and then the Academy was truly deserted, with not a single soul inside.

* * *

M.O.M. hadn't been kidding when she said that all agents where busy hanging up decorations. It seemed like The Center had closed up shop for the next days and dedicated itself to the sole purpose of celebrating the holidays. As the platform advanced and the three agents were cleared, a familiar mechanical humming made its way closer to them, and a little green alien on a hovering small craft made himself known, cheering at the group.

"Hey guys! I see you are spending the holidays with us again, this is going to be great… Uhm, Martin, no gifts from you this time, right?" Billy asked, trying to hide some nervousness. Martin simply glared at him with a raised eyebrow and his arms crossed. _You too Billy?_

"No, I won't be giving any gifts this Christmas Billy, M.O.M. took care of that" he answered dead-pan. The green alien smiled and then held up his hand, after which both of them performed their famous "handshake". The platform gave way to an elevator, and after riding it to the top they found themselves in the spotless-clean office of the Manager.

"Alright, since all the staff is already engaged in the other parts of the place, you are going to help Billy and me with the office…"

"Ha! Piece of cake! We'll be done before sundown!" the blond agent exclaimed… right before M.O.M. opened the storage closet, burying him on a mountain of decorations, "Or maybe not..."

* * *

Everyone made themselves busy, Martin and Java helping with the uncommonly big Nativity Scene (in which some characters were changed into monster-alien form), while Billy and M.O.M. hung around the wall decorations. Diana was on Christmas tree duty, in charge of decorating the huge glowing fungi-like tree. While everyone was very much in the spirit of the occasion, Billy noticed that a certain brunette was in an awfully quiet and pensive mood.

"Diana?" the girl didn't reacted, deep in thought about whatever was going through her mind, "Diana!"

Diana jumped up slightly, startled by the alien's call, "Billy! Don't do that! You almost scared me to death…"

"Sorry, Diana, but you seemed a little spaced out. Are you Ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Billy, I was just thinking for a moment"

"I can see that. Are you sure you are Ok? You know you can trust me with anything, right?"

"I know, Billy, it's just…" she stopped to think about it. _Is it a good idea to talk about this with Billy? He is rather… talkative after all. But that doesn't mean he is not thrust-worthy._ She bit her lip while pondering, finally making up her mind, "Look, can we talk somewhere a bit more… private?"

* * *

'Somewhere a bit more private' turned out to be the detention block's guard post. The girl and the small alien were alone and thus Diana felt more confident about talking freely.

"So, what was it you were thinking about, Diana?" the usual ear-to-ear smile in Billy's face was almost not there, proving how worried he was about her.

"Well… see, you know that I'm a 16 year-old girl, a teenager by definition. It's the age when girls like me like to go out with their friends and… well… explore the world, and themselves, so to speak. But I never really cared about this myself, with so much schoolwork and things to do…"

"Yes, I suppose you are kind of an over-achiever…"

That particular comment earned him a harsh glare. Billy simply gave a nervous laugh and decided to not say anything else.

"I guess you are kindda right. I've struggled for academic near-perfection so much that I've… neglected other aspects of life. I don't usually think much of it, with school and what-not, but it's always on holidays that I wished… you now…"

While Billy was sure that she was talking about something important, he really couldn't make the connection about what she was talking about. It was one of the aspects of human behavior which he hadn't grasped quite well yet, and it made him want to ask details about it. Diana could sense this in his clueless facial expression, just staring at her, begging for an answer.

"Be with someone Billy. Someone… who cares"

_Oh! It's about _that_._

"So why don't you try, Di? You know, like Martin, he's always on the try, even if he's not as smooth as he wished he was…" the girl giggled softly, agreeing with him, "It shouldn't be too hard for a pretty girl like you."

Diana just couldn't avoid blushing at that particular comment. Nobody had come close to call her 'pretty', and thus, she was slightly surprised to hear it.

"You really think so, Billy?"

"Of course I do, Diana. A boy would have to be stupid to not like you. Or a primal simian. A lot of those going around at your age, you know?"

"Yeah, tell me about it, he'd probably be the king of the primal simians, what with his clumsiness and stupidity…" it took Diana full three seconds to realize that she had given up _way_ too much information, "Uh, I mean…"

"You already like someone, don't you Diana?" Billy teased, a smirk in his face while he chuckled. Diana went from blush to bright red, with a nervous smile and rubbing the back of her head.

"Don't be silly, Billy, I, uh… I haven't had time to… be on the lookout for boys… hehe"

"Ri-ight… so you don't mind if I introduce you to some of our other top agents? You know, the full-time guys, who go after the mean and bad-ass aliens with plasma blasters and heavy armor… at least most of the time. The rest of the time they hang around the water-cooler in battle uniform and war paint."

"Now you are just trying to be funny, Billy"

"About the water-cooler part? Yeah, but I mean the bad-ass aliens part. Besides, they are usually single and very smart. You know, your kind of guy."

"Alright, Billy, I get it. You win, introduce me to one of your great, bad-ass alien catching agents."

"Well, since you don't want to tell me who the guy you like is, we have a deal. Now let's go before M.O.M. realizes that we are fooling around the detention block. If a creature escapes she'll turn us into monster food"

Both of them returned to the Manager's office, oblivious to the blond eavesdropper that had overheard every single word they said.

"Diana dating a full-time Center agent? Now _that's_ something I want to see" he simply muttered to himself, snickering at the thought of her sister trying to date a guy who lived to fight the supernatural, rather than being an apathic skeptical like her. And yet, he would also admit that he was slightly worried about it After all, he really did care about her. Martin resolved to keep an eye on her, and the lucky guy that got to be chosen by her.

_Lucky? Why did I think that?_

* * *

**So... there's that. I would love to commit myself to updating this story every weekend, but that's something that I'm not sure I can do, so I'll just update whenever possible. Remember to review, please, and see you next update.  
**


	2. Falcon

**Sorry, I know I didn't commit myself to updating this on time, but I at least owe you guys an update whenever I can, so here we go.**

"Sparrow 1 to Center Control, come in, over"

"Center Control to Sparrow 1. What are you doing outside? The party is tonight!"

"Yeah, yeah, we know, Control, tell that to the bad-asses we are hauling around. Hopefully they'll get in the celebrations' mood and chill a little bit, over"

"Understood, Sparrow 1, pad 4 is clear for your landing. See you at the party"

"Roger, Control. Sparrow 1 out"

* * *

The Center's tilt-rotor aircraft, one of the many vehicles at the disposal of Center agents, nimbly landed on its assigned pad. The pilots ran through the landing check, `powering down the engines and making sure everything was A-straight. After all, _nobody_ wanted to deal with the lady-boss when gear was involved. She had the tendency to be extremely strict in that matter, often giving hard sanctions against people that dared to even scratch or dent the equipment.

Except, obviously, to Martin Mystery and his team. Everyone knew or had heard about them. They were somewhat of a legend among the staff, almost at the same level of Falcon Team. Which reminded…

"Ok, guys, we are home. Remember to leave the barf bags were you found them. I don't want to have to explain why they are always going missing even though none of you guys are supposed to be regular barfers" one of the pilots yelled towards the people they were transporting, unfastening his crash helmet and loosening the security straps.

"Come on, don't we get to take a souvenir from the airline?" a voice teased, while standing up and picking up the bags they had brought along for their mission.

"If you want a damned souvenir cut a finger off of that stinking creature you just caught, don't mess with my bird!" the second pilot retorted, with a heavy southern drawl.

"Calm down, Clint Eastwood, we are out of here. You yahoos going to the Christmas party tonight?" the second male Center Operative called, stopping by the exit hatch on the side of the aircraft.

"Maybe. It's one of the few times we get to see the ice-queen without a frown on her face. And she's quite a sight to behold when she dances" the southern pilot conceded.

"What he means is that he wants to take a shot at M.O.M., even if we all know that will go nowhere. Rumor has it, she's got her sights on someone from the office. A high-ranking minion. It's odd, but maybe if it happens, the guy can soften her up"

"Don't count on that, flyboys. See you around fellas" the second agent left the aircraft, followed by a third male agent, who didn't speak a word to the pilots and simply gave a small wave gesture. _Weird guy…_

"See you later, guys. Hope you go to the party, I need dancing partners, you know?" the fourth agent told them, a stunning red-headed woman in her early twenties and a wide smile on her face.

"Well, if you put it that way. Maybe we now do have a good reason to go"

"Great! See you around guys!"

* * *

"Billy, were are we going?" the brunette asked for the fourth time. The little alien had convinced her to meet one of the agents he had been talking about, but he hadn't said where they would be meeting the guy, and Diana had to admit that she had never been in this parts of The Center. While they were far from being creepy (detention block still claiming that tittle) the unfamiliar spaces did make her somewhat nervous, especially since they were deserted.

"I told you I'd be introducing some agents, didn't I?" Billy said, stopping at a blast-door labeled 'Landing Pads'.

"Yeah, but you didn't tell me we were coming down here, did you? It's a bit creepy here" Diana answered, slightly cowed away by the loneliness of the place.

"Don't worry, Di. The place looks lonely now because almost everyone is already at M.O.M.'s office chilling and getting ready for the party. There's still a skeleton crew here to receive our last aircraft for the next days"

"Last aircraft? I thought everyone was already here"

"Not everyone. Our best team, Falcon, has just returned from their last mission of the year. They had to take care of a rebellious group of Gaelians. Their assignment was to…ahh… neutralize the group and capture the leader." Billy seemed somewhat uneasy when talking about 'neutralization', and Diana understood.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? The kind of people that do… 'neutralization' for an organization like the Center are probably not my kind of guy, Billy" The alien's uneasiness was contagious, and she was no longer sure she wanted to go through with this.

"Don't worry, Diana, I wouldn't get you in a date with just about anyone, would I?"

"Date?! I thought you said just _meet!_"

"You say tomato, I say date" The brunette sent him a harsh glare, which the alien didn't see, and the blast door slowly opened.

"Billy! How you doing, little green man?" a black-skinned man, in his late 20s or early 30s probably, called while exiting through the door.

"Hi, Max. How was the mission?" the alien greeted, executing another 'handshake' with the newcomer, this one very different from the one he did with Diana's brother. This little detail didn't escape her attention. _So they are old friends_.

"Well, you know, nothing out of the ordinary. We went in, we looked around, and we fried some bugs. Gotta say, as peaceful as Gaelians usually are, they sure know how to fight. Believe that, buddy"

"I know, they used to be part of The Center's special teams, until they decided to go pacifist. Some of them still have it in them, I guess. But you guys are the best for these jobs, aren't you?"

"Bet on it, Billy!" an incredibly gorgeous redhead woman added, leaning in to kiss Billy's diminutive cheek. The alien's usually green face turned a shade of red. _Why wouldn't he? The girl is stunning!_ Diana felt really small when she compared herself to her. She probably wasn't older than her middle-twenties, and she would keep Martin drooling after her if he ever met her. "Looking handsome, little guy! And who do we have here? A girlfriend?" she teased, finally noticing Diana standing by his side. The girl rubbed the back of her head and blushed slightly at the awkwardness of the commentary, but decided to let Billy introduce her.

"What? Oh, no, no! This here is Diana Lombard, she is part of the Mystery team. She is also Martin's step-sister" Billy declared, signaling in her direction.

"Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you guys"

"Pleasure is ours. I'm Max, Falcon Team's leader. The girl here is Anne, and the silent guy on my back is Valentin" Diana felt like a bad person for not noticing the young man behind Mas and Anne. He was probably the youngest of the team, looking no older than eighteen years old, probably younger. He had blond hair, but a few shades lighter than Martin's and sporting a buzz-cut hairstyle. His blue eyes reflected iciness, but also insecurity. He didn't say anything, but acknowledged her with a semi-friendly gesture and a slight side-ways move of his lips. All in all, he wasn't an unpleasant person, but not someone whom you'd have an extended conversation with.

"Wait, so you are _the_ Martin Mystery's step-sis?" Anne asked, to which Diana just innocently nodded. _Oh god, another crazy fan…_ "Cool, we've been keeping an eye on you guys. I shouldn't say this, but it's obvious to anyone with two neurons that you guys are slated to take our place when we are too old to keep jumping around"

"Really?" Diana hadn't thought much about remaining as a Center agent after high school. The revelation that M.O.M. had plans for their team in the near future made her question if she really wanted out. _If I get to wear one of those black uniforms they are wearing…_

"Sure. But alas, we are running late for the party, aren't we, Max?"

"Oh, yes! Sorry Billy, guess I'll see you around at the ice-queen's party" at this, the three of them began heading towards where Diana and Billy had come from.

"Yeah, sure… Wait a second! Have you seen Archer? We are looking for him" Billy called out, almost forgetting what they had come for.

"Probably at the Armory, Bill, you know him, he's a tidiness freak!" was the last thing they heard before the group disappeared.

"Come on, Di, your date is awaiting!"

"BILLY!"

* * *

Agent Archer was sitting in a stool by the Armory table, checking over his personal armor and weaponry. The plasma blaster had seen some action, but the personal armor… M.O.M. would have chewed his head if she had seen the state of the armor. Fortunately Christmas had saved his ass, as it had for the last two years. A knock at the metallic hatch-like door attracted his attention just as it began to unlock itself and it opened.

"Hey, Billy!" he greeted without taking his eyes off the armored vest. _It's gonna need a lot of work… damn it. _

"Arch, we were looking for you. The party is set to begin soon!"

"I know, Billy. I just have to fix this thing, or M.O.M. will have my head on a platter for Christmas dinner" _Wait a sec… we?_ He finally processed the meaning of that when a very faint smell of perfume hit him. _That's weird…_ He found himself slightly transfixed with the brunette girl that had arrived with the small alien that he considered a friend.

"Hey! Archer!" the agent shook his head slightly, which made Diana giggle softly to herself. _Well, he's certainly cute…_

"Sorr-y Billy, I…uhm… spaced out a bit" came a stuttered response.

"Yeah, it figures… anyway, I wanted to introduce you to somebody. Diana, this is Archer. Archer, Diana"

"Hello, pleased to meet you"

"Pleasure is mine. We've heard all kinds of positive things about team Mystery, I'm sure The Center will be in good hands" he complimented, missing the slight blush that had lighted the girl's face. Billy could only snicker, and decided to make himself scarce.

"Diana wanted to learn about the special teams and I thought you could show her round. Maybe that'll help to make her mind up about staying for a career at The Center. I'll leave you two to it, see you at the party!" the small alien didn't waste any time bugging out, leaving the two of them in a short but awkward silence.

"So... " she timidly said, to try and break the ice.

"So…" he repeated, taking the cue

Both of them laughed at the silliness of it all, and it was smooth-sailing from there.

* * *

"Where Diana?" Java asked. He hadn't seen the brunette in a while, and that wasn't proper of her. She usually hung around with them, or with Billy and M.O.M. if she wanted a change. But the Manager hadn't seen her either and Billy was pretty evasive about the issue.

"Uh, she had something important to do, Jav. I'm sure she'll join us soon enough" Martin said, trying hard to flirt with some of the female staff members. While he was doing his best, and some of them actually looked interested in him. But he had a hard time keeping up with it, still thinking about the early… slip of thought he had had. While he could hardly call it something serious, or even something that he should be really worried about, it raised some red-flags inside his brain. Diana and he had been stepbrothers for almost eight years, and he acknowledged that this was a VERY long time. They knew each other pretty well, their likes and dislikes, their reactions to different situations… and also their more personal stuff, like aspirations and dreams, as corny as all that sounded. Despite them constantly teasing and bugging each other to death, both of them would gladly admit that they cared deeply for each other. The fact that _maybe_ that caring for each other had evolved in some way was both frightening and foreign to him. In the end, he decided to take a break from flirting and sat to think by himself. The first thought was a pretty obvious one: _IF it's true… it would be wrong… wouldn't it? _ He pondered on this just as his little green friend snuck up on him.

"Hi, Martin!" the alien called, startling the blond and sending him down from his seat. He quickly got up and gave Billy a nasty look.

"Hello Billy, thanks for sneaking up on me…" he grumbled, and grudgingly sat back on his seat.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that. I just thought I would come and check up on you, you look extremely spaced out"

"I'm fine, Billy, I'm just… thinking"

"About your next conquest? Way to go!"

_Am I that predictable?_ "Not exactly, but it _is_ about a girl" the Agent admitted.

"Great, so who's the lucky one? You need me to be your wingman again?" Billy was truly excited about that prospect, even if he knew that Martin's plan would crash and burn in a spectacular manner. The two Center agents were very good friends, and they hadn't really been hanging out lately, so Billy was taking every chance he had to spend time with his friend.

"I'd rather not say, Billy. I… am not so sure about it at the moment"

* * *

"Ok, know, grip it strongly but not stiffly. When you are ready pull the trigger"

A burst of high-yield plasma hit the metallic silhouette a few seconds later. The firing startled Diana a bit, and she stumbled back, getting caught before she fell to the floor by Archer.

"Don't worry, all novices get started the first time. You'll be doing better every time you do it" he said, helping her regain her balance. Diana felt slightly guilty that she was faking the loss of balance. She was testing the guy, and so far, he was acing all the tests she had put him through. He was really a strong candidate for a relationship.

"You really think so? I feel like I'm a lousy shooter. If I have to do this for The Center, I think I'm going to get another bad evaluation" That specific episode was still fresh on her mind, even if M.O.M. and the team had already forgiven her betrayal.

"Don't sweat it, I mean it. The first time I came into the Firing Range I almost destroyed the place. But as they say, practice makes perfect, right?"

"Yeah, I guess you are right. Thank you, for showing me this stuff. I never realized The Center had these kind of things, I always thought all other teams worked like us, you know… non-lethal"

_Ah, so that's what's got her concerned._

"Yeah, I didn't believed it myself when they brought me in here. But overtime, I learned that there are some extra-dangerous creatures out there that really needed to be put down. It sounds awful, I know, but… it's for everyone's safety"

Diana understood, but she was still on the fence about it.

"Can I ask you one last question?"

"Sure, fire away… not literally…"

"How did you arrived in here? I mean… do your family mind that you are here? Do they ever ask you what you do for a living?"

Archer waited some seconds to answer, the mood suddenly a bit heavier. The brunette was about to back out from the question and apologize when he decided it was ok to answer.

"I don't think they would mind… I'm… an orphan. I don't really remember how I got here, but as far as I can remember I've been prowling and playing around The Center's hallways since I was a kid. I was agent by the time I turned fourteen, and I was selected for the special teams just last year"

"I'm…I'm so sorry… I didn't know…"Diana was extremely shocked by the news, and she could somehow relate to him after losing her father herself. But Scoot Lombard wasn't dead, he was just too busy for his wife and daughter, travelling for business all around the world. It was nowhere near the same.

"It's Ok. I never met my parents, so I don't really have something to grieve, and The Center… well, it's all I know, so I think I'm fine"

"Still, wouldn't you like to go out into the normal world? I mean, aren't you curious about the world outside your job?" It was a rather fitting question. One that could give her a good reason to be around him.

"Sometimes, yeah. But I really have no incentive to" Archer admitted.

"Well, maybe we could go to the outside when you are not busy. What do you think?"

"That would be great, yeah" a silence followed, but not an awkward one, rather an understanding silence, while they took in on each other's company. Until a wristwatch's alarm interrupted the moment.

"Huh, is getting late. The party will start shortly. Will I see you there?" he asked, a slight tone of hopefulness in his voice. The girl found it endearing, and of course she would be there.

"Sure, I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world. Don't be late, I need a dancing partner" Now, this was _nothing _like her. _Screw it, he is gold mine._

They separated, Diana ready to return to M.O.M.'s office and Archer heading for his quarters to change out from the form-fitting black under-armor uniform. The vibe he had gotten out of the girl was one that he had never felt with any other person he had met in his relatively-short life, and he wasn't dumb enough to let go of the opportunity.

* * *

**Not sure how you feel about this chapter, I like it, but if you feel like I'm playing dumb feel free to tell me so at the 'Reviews' section. I intend this story to be sort of slowly paced, so paranormal stuff will rarely be touched, but it will still be here and there.**

**I woud like to use this very same place to invite those of you unsure about writting in this category to write your own stories. I've already said this once, but I won't get tired of saying it. The only bad ideas are the ones you don't share. If you have something, no matter how dumb or stupid you think it is, you can write about it. What you might think it's dumb we might consider it a wonderful idea. We are nice people here, and we would love to see this category remain alive, and we can only do that with your help.**

**So, public announcement is over, see you guys next update. Have a good one.**


	3. James Archer

**Three, two, one... showtime:**

M. O. M.'s office was… different to say the least. The normally Spartan-looking place was now colorful and lively, not unlike the time where Diana and Martin had arrived to be briefed about the strange moon phenomenon that caused monsters from movies and comics to become real. It surprised Diana only slightly, but it was a welcomed surprise.

"Hey, Diana!" Billy cheered, using his human shell, "How did your date go?"

"Billy! It… wasn't a date…" she answered, smiling nervously.

"Right, right, right… Okay, how did the 'meeting' go?" he said, still teasing the teenage girl, who was blushing so badly that her face had gone a nasty shade of red.

"It was…ok, I guess"

"Come on, Diana, it must have been great if you are all smiles now."

"Alright, alright! Jeez, Billy, nothing happened, he just showed me around and stuff"

"Well, that's too bad. Did you invited him to come along with you for the party? He could use someone to take him out more often, you know?"

"Yes, we sort of talked about that. Do you think M. O. M. would allow him to come out of The Center when he's not away on an assignment? After all, I think you are right, he does need to get out more often" Diana asked the alien.

Billy pondered about this for a moment, until he was able to give a truthful answer to his friend: "I think I can talk to her about that. I mean, surely you know the… circumstances of his employment here, right?"

"You mean the thing about him being an orphan? Yes, he mentioned it. Billy, how is it possible? How did an orphan winded up being raised by The Center?" it was a very fair question, and one that Billy could answer, but he was doubtful about it himself. And he didn't want everybody else to overhear what he was about to say. After all, not everyone knew the history of James Archer's upbringing in the Center.

"Ok, I will tell you, but we need to talk about this in a more secluded part. Come on"

* * *

"Well, well, well, look who decided to finally get out from the Armory" Max said, teasing his younger team-partner, who was looking himself at the mirror in his quarters while he tried to smoothen the formal jacket he had decided to wear. It had been given to him as a Christmas gift last year, by none other than M. O. M. herself. He never understood why the head of The Center usually gave him better gifts than the rest of the employees (in a discreet manner, of course), but he never questioned her motives, and as such he never pronounced word against it. Unfortunately, the gifts rarely got any use at all, since he hadn't ever gotten out from his quarters to use them, but it now seemed that all that was about to change.

"What? I'm just tidying myself up for the party. No big deal!" Archer said, still trying to figure out how to wear clothing that was not The Center's combat uniform, "Dammit! Why is this so hard?" he exclaimed, giving up on the jacket. He really had no idea of what he was doing, and it showed. Max just chuckled to himself and stepped into Archer's room, helping him with his clothes.

"You are wearing it the other way around, fella" he said, taking his jacket off and turning it inside-out, only to give it back so the kid could wear it back, "See? That's better, isn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose. Thanks, boss" Archer answered with a sheepish smile.

"Don't mention it, Arch. Now, about all this… can I ask you, why the sudden change?"

"Uhm… I don't think I get it…"

"Don't think I'm stupid, kid. Billy shows up with a pretty girl, looking for you, then suddenly you are going to parties and dressing sharply?" Max commented, referring specifically to his actual outfit: a set of silvery-looking trousers, a black turtle-neck, long-sleeved shirt, and the black formal jacket he had somehow gotten. It was something he had never seen him wear, and attending to the (few) Center's festivities was completely out-of-character for him, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not against any of this kid, but I want you to be careful, alright? Girls are great distractors, and distractions get people killed in the field, you hear me?"

"Yeah. I hear you, boss. I'll be careful"

"Good, now let's go, you have a date waiting for you"

* * *

_What I am about to tell you happened a long time ago, but it seems like it was just yesterday. James Archer was the son of two Center agents, our top agents at the time. His mother was M. O. M.'s best friend back in the day, before she became the manager and was just an agent like you. _

_Needless to say, the mother was rethinking about her long-term employment in The Center due to her new status as a mother. The director at the time, a man named Hartman, assigned the parents a last mission before they retired, but they never came back. We searched for them for weeks, but never found a trace of their whereabouts. The Center took a pretty good hit when they disappeared, but M. O. M. took it even worse. Hartman understood it, and allowed her some time off to deal with her loss. What none of us had thought about was what would happen in that time span. _

_When M. O. M. returned, she was now the legal responsible for James, effectively becoming into a de facto mother. Hartman was furious, and threatened to fire her for not consulting about her decision. In the end, M. O. M. won, and Hartman was discharged. She was tasked with occupying his former position as manager, but in the end she had to deal with the fact that her responsibilities where too much for her to do her job in a proper manner. After James' thirteenth birthday she took a final decision: she asked me and Dr. Julius Strong to erase her kids' memory. Records of his birth and her relationship to him where altered or flat-out erased, and the people who knew about it accepted promotions in the farthest Center outposts they could find or early retirements. It was the only way to keep him close without causing a scandal in The Center. Imagine that, M. O. M.'s kid being promoted to field agent, and Special Response Teams after. No one would have tolerated that, and M. O. M. wouldn't have tolerated being responsible for that kind of division among the agency. So, she has followed his career ever since those first days, treating him like she would to any other agent. But that doesn't take away the fact that he's, essentially, the son of The Center's manager. That's why he's here today, Diana, and it's important that you do _not_ tell him any of this._

* * *

Diana was in a state of-near-shock. She desperately wanted to believe that Billy was playing around with her, that he had just invented the story he just told her to mess with her. But the rather guilty-looking person in front of her told the story by itself: it was no joke.

"Billy… what you did… it was… wrong. You… you stripped that kid from the love he deserved. How could M. O. M. tell you to do that? Doesn't she feel responsible for that? Does she even care?"

"I don't know what to say, Diana. You have to walk in somebody's shoes to understand the reasons behind their decisions…"

"Sorry, Billy, but these are some shoes I would rather not even try on. Whether M. O. M. approves or not, I'll make sure he knows that there's a world beyond the one she created for him" Diana was furious, but she kept it to herself. It wasn't Billy whom she was furious at.

"I'm sorry Diana, I know that what I did was wrong…"

"Yes, it was, Billy, but I don't blame you. I blame M. O. M. You are just another piece in her chess board. I won't let the game keep going on, at least not with her own rules"

* * *

"So this is a party, uh?" Archer had to ask, his mind overloaded by the constant visual and auditory stimuli.

"Well… yeah. You've never been to a party before, Arch?" Anne asked, giving him a strange look.

"Err… no?"

"My, my, you've missed on some good stuff. Seems like we have to get you started, right now!"

"Actually, I am supposed to meet… someone in here…"

"Whoa! You got a date?! You are growing too fast!" Anne joked, which caused Archer to gruff in annoyance, "go ahead, go look for your date, we'll see you later, kid"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" Archer dismissed, as he began looking around for Diana.

* * *

She was furious at what she had just found out, but at the same time she felt sorry for Billy. And Archer. _Speaking of him, where is he? He said he would be here by n… _She was stopped on her tracks by bumping into someone, and she recognized who it was before he had time to apologize.

"Here you are!" she said, her previous frown now turned into a sincere smile. She had suddenly forgotten the unpleasant conversation with Billy, "And you are looking good, if I may say so"

"Uh… thanks. This… is not how usually dress. I must admit that it was a bit hard to piece it together. So… what does people do in these… 'parties'?" Archer asked, making it apparent that he was completely out of his element.

"You have never been to a party?"

"That's the second time they've asked me that same question tonight"

"And?"

"No, I've never been to a party"

"Well… we could… dance, how about that?" she said, pulling him lightly by his arm.

"Uh… Ok, but I don't know how to dance" he admitted, slightly ashamed and with a nervous grin on his face. _I can't believe how out of touch with reality I am._

"Don't worry, I can teach you some things" she said, finally being able to drag the smart-dressed guy into the dance floor.

* * *

Meanwhile Martin watched from afar while his sister (correction, his _step_-sister) was _flirting_ with a guy he didn't even know. _ What if he is some kind of pervert or the like? What if he only wants to take advantage of her?_ These questions roamed wildly in his mind while he drank the light beverage in his glass. But there was _one_ question that he hadn't given a thought about: Why did it matter to him that much? What did this all meant?

He wasn't asking those questions because he was sure he already knew the answers, and he didn't liked them at all, so he instead pushed them out of his head and focused on his present worries. _I'm gonna keep a good eye on that guy._

* * *

"Ouch" Diana yelped softly. _Jesus, he even makes polite mistakes, what is it with this guy? That's gonna hurt in the morning, tough…_

"Sorry! Dammit, I'm so bad at this…" he said with a small laugh. It was contagious, and she found herself laughing despite the clumsy way they were dancing. It was a ridiculous moment, sure to be reminded to her in the future by her brother (_Where is he, by the way?_) in a way to mock her, but she really didn't mind it at all.

"It's ok, you are doing it pretty good for your first time. Are you sure you've never been to a party before?"

"One-hundred-and-ten percent. I even rarely come out of my quarters" he said, trying to have a conversation and keeping up to the lively music's rhythm.

"That's not good, you now? But anyways, I'm already taking care of that"

"R-really? Won't it interfere with my job?"

"Don't worry, you won't be having any work for the next month apparently. Bad guys celebrate holidays too. Besides, I overheard some stuff about team rotations. I don't know how that works but I assume you and your friends are going to get R &amp; R"

"Yeah, basically, it means the B team is now on standby for action. So I guess you are right, I'll be free for the next month or so. Though I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to survive. Out there, in the real world"

Suddenly, the frantic music stopped, and a calmer tune began to play and the lights dimmed slightly

"W-what's going on?" he said, looking around, and missing Diana's blush as she realized it was Billy who had done it. _So, despite the fact that I almost chewed his head off, he's now my teammate on this…_ There was something comforting about a friend willing to help despite the circumstances.

"Err, this is kind of embarrassing. It's called slow-dancing. If you feel awkward about it…" she said, with her hands behind her back. After catching a side-ways glance, he finally understood what she meant.

"Oh. Err… and what about you? Do you… want to?" he asked with a blank expression. It was a sight that very nearly made her heart melt, and the fact that _he_ was asking _her_ to slow-dance…

"I would love to…"

And strangely enough, there was no need to teach him anything. It seemed like this level of intimacy between two people who barely knew each other was not wrong, but rather, that it was something… natural. And it didn't bother her. Maybe it should have, maybe… maybe she should have had a problem with it, maybe she should have declined. But she didn't want to, and for the first time in her life she was going to listen to herself and do what she thought was right, society and rules be damned. And him? He didn't know what to think. He was versed in combat with directed-energy weaponry, projectile weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, asymmetric paranormal warfare and a great number of other skills, all necessary for his survival while in the line of duty. But this? He was out of his element, a babe in the woods if you may. And he wasn't afraid of it. He wasn't afraid of not knowing the girl whom he was now holding in his arms that well, and he was certainly not afraid of the idea of going out into a world he didn't know anything about.

It was okay. It wasn't perfect, but it really felt close to it.

* * *

**I think I have a flair for the dramatic, but I also think I overdid this one, SPECIALLY the ending. Anyways, if you think so (or not), then please leave your input in the 'Reviews' section (remember that our stories grow better with your feedback, people) and I'm still waiting for those fabulous new stories in this category. Come on, don't be shy, there's a lot of good you can do in here.  
**

**So, that woud be it for now, as you remember I already stablished a new update rate, so the next update will take a while to come around, but in the meantime I encourage you to read my other works and leave more input on those too. Remember that 'love you give is love you get'... or something like that...**


	4. Maturity

The slow song finished to soon for the liking of both, and the lively tunes soon resumed. After the previous moment, though, getting back to that felt incredibly awkward, and thus they decided to take a break and walk off toward their friends.

"Just for a while, don't keep me waiting, ok?" Diana beamed, her mood now livelier than ever before.

"I won't, don't worry" Archer answered, as they parted away at the moment.

"How Diana date going?" Java said, lightly teasing the teenage agent, who responded by narrowing her eyes in mock anger.

"It's not a date, Java! We are just... 'hanging out', as people say" the blush on her face betrayed her, but the lighting in the room helped her conceal it.

"Yeah, right, sis. You and that guy have been very tight up until now" Martin chimed in, trying to not let his annoyance creep into his voice.

"So what, Martin? I can't spend time with a mature, serious person? You are gonna go around making sure I only hand out with people you like?" while she was not completely serious, she did mean that to a certain extent. Martin and Billy, as good friends as they were, were very immature people. Not that she minded too much, but at times she really just wanted to be with people that thought just a little bit like her.

"Oh, no, don't mind me, queen of maturity. It's ok if you want to hang out with your new boyfriend. Go ahead, we don't mind at all" the sass and sarcasm in the sentence threw Diana off-guard, and made her blood begin to boil.

"What is your problem? Why do you care? You are always giving me hell about not having somebody I care even a bit about, and now that I'm actually trying you are even worse of a cry-baby for it! Who the hell understands you?!" she said, having dragged the blonde to a less-populated area of the room, only to storm away as soon as the last word was out of her mouth. Martin could only stare at her retreating form while she headed for the exit. He hadn't meant to day what he said, at least not in the way he had said it. Sure, he was always teasing her and everything, but that was because it was the only way he knew to show that, deeply in his heart, he cared about her. And perhaps that was his whole problem: he just hadn't found an appropriate way to show how important she was to her. That's why she always complained about his attitude and his pranks. She just couldn't see through his actions and understand his reasons. And he certainly wasn't helping her at all. The agent finally gave a sigh and decided to just let the issue aside for the night. Maybe he would get lucky and one of the girls in the room wouldn't swat him away.

* * *

Diana fumed all the way to the exit, and a bit more too when the door had finally closed behind her. It took her a full minute to cool down, not before muttering what would appear to be gibberish to any passer-by.

_Damned Martin... how dare he tell me what I can or can't do?! I'm nearly an adult, for Christ's sake! Who I relate to and how much is my business, not his..._

While she could understand her brother's -_STEPbrother_\- natural instinct to protect her from danger (what else could it be?) sometimes the blonde could be very rude and annoying, specially towards her. She was about to decide to just leave it at that and return to the party when the door opened again, this time opened by a very familiar person.

"M. O. M.?" Diana wondered aloud, the thought of seeing the manager away from the center of the action being... well... alien... to her.

"Agent Lombard... I mean... Diana. I wanted to talk to you in private. Do you have a minute?" the woman asked. In all honesty, Diana did have a minute to spare, but the memory of what Billy had told her at the beginning of the party still caused her an internal conflict, and she frankly didn't know what to think about the woman that was now in front of her.

"Err... actually, there's somebody waiting for me inside, so..."

"I know, Diana. That's what I wanted to talk about, actually. I guess Bully told you the story..."

"Yes, he did. How could you do that? To someone you claim to love like a son of your own blood? You can't seriously expect me to believe tha..." she was interrupted by the manager, who simply raised her hand as a signal for her to stop. Diana did so, out of reflex, expecting her to begin making up excuses for it. Instead, M. O. M. just stood there, silent for a couple of seconds. The teenager could see the hints of internal conflict in her, but decided to wait until the manager decided to speak.

"I... I don't expect you to understand the reasons behind my decision, Diana. You are young, you haven't seen or lived through even half of what I have. I know that what I did wasn't right, but I did it for him, to keep him safe and to give him a chance at earning each and every one of the milestones in his life. Maybe it wasn't the right way. Maybe it was. But it's done, and we have to deal with it. The only thing I ask from you is that you never tell him what happened."

"So you are asking me to lie to him... why do I even try to pretend I'm surprised?..."

"I can turn that into an order, agent Lombard.."

"No need. I won't tell him. You will. Not today, nor tomorrow, but one day he'll want to know, and you will have to face the consequences of your decision." with that final word, the auburn-haired agent went back to the party, leaving M. O. M. to wonder: since when do her agents lecture her about decisions?

* * *

"There's the man of the hour!" Max cheered when Archer got near the couple. Surprisingly enough, Annie wasn't in full swing at the party, instead sat with the team-leader talking about God-knows-what while sipping into their drinks. Archer sat across her and to Max's right, a small glass of... something in front of him.

"How's the date going, sweetheart?" Annie teased, her lips forming a devilish smile.

"It's not a date... I'm just hanging around with a girl" Archer defended, later realizing how lame his argument had sounded.

"A girl that likes you, I might add. Come on kid, loosen up a little bit from time to time. It will do you some good."

"Even if that were true, I'm not just gonna jump at her. We barely know each other."

"So what? Ask her out! No girl in her right mind would reject a handsome guy like you!" the redhead beamed, giggling when Archer's face picked up a shade of red.

"Yeah... no. I'll take things slow. IF she likes me, then I'll find out along the way." he said, shrugging the matter off.

"Nice plan, kid. Woops, act normal, your girl is coming!"

"Not my girl!" he muttered, before facing in the direction in which the teenage girl was arriving. However, he turned his smile upside down when he saw the unpleasant frown in her face, instantly deducing something was wrong.

"Hey, are you ok? You look like someone kicked your cat..."

"What? Oh, sorry. I just... had an unpleasant argument with my brother... You mind if I sit with you and your friends?"

"Err... sure, if you think you can tolerate us then go ahead" he invited, despite being slightly worried about the eccentric attitudes of his team mates. Despite his worries, Max and Annie behaved rather calmly during the rest of the party, Annie going as far as to establishing what could be called a friendship with Diana.

* * *

It all ended some hours later, with everyone leaving gradually until only Max, Annie, Archer, and Diana remained in the room, still chatting and laughing.

"I think we should get going, it's kind of late." Annie said, stealing a glance at her simple wristwatch.

"I agree, although there's nobody back at Torrington to tell if I'm away..." Diana mused, obviously ignoring the fact that her annoying brother was probably skulking around the college looking out for her.

"Still, I think we all need to get some rest, right, Arch?"

"Yep. Come on, I'll take you to the Academy" Archer finally said, getting up and then helping her do so too. Both agents headed for M. O. M.'s desk, pressing one of the buttons that activated the portal-transportation system and sent them to Torrington Academy.

"What do you think, boss?" Annie said after the couple disappeared into the portal.

"I don't know, she seems like a good girl, but it's too soon to tell for sure. She's got him under her thumb, though."

"Come on, you know Archer, he's not that kind of guy."

"We can't say for sure, today he did a lot of things that he hadn't before. Maybe the kid's changing." the man concluded, reflecting a little on the night's events, "Come on, I'm dying for some sleep."

* * *

Diana felt a tingling sensation in her stomach, the proverbial "butterflies in the stomach", but she blamed them on the trip through the portal. Meanwhile, the young man by her side looked around in silent fascination, doing his best to keep a neutral face expression.

"Wow. The outside world is quite... impressing", he said, intrigued by the green areas of the campus and the strange construction that he assumed to be the famous Torrington Academy (after all, the only kind of edification he knew for sure was The Center metallic structure and all of the alien constructions he regularly visited while on duty).

"I told you it would grow on you" the brunette joked, finding his attitude quite amusing and endearing. She was seeing him as a real person, not the combat machine The Center (and life, for that matter) tried to turn him into, and that fact alone made her extremely happy, for a weird reason.

"It's ok, I guess. We don't think much of it because we get to be out here as much as we please. But you... well... I did say I was going to bring you out here more often, didn't I?" they reached the top of the stairs and stopped, acknowledging each other for a moment.

"I'll be looking forward to that" was the only thing he could say, before the conversation turned awkward.

"Well, I better get inside. Thanks for everything." she said with a wide smile.

"Not a problem. Good night."

"Good night"

The girl went through the doorway, leaving John behind. He decided to not stick around and opened a portal back to the facility they had come from, leaving the school grounds back in an eerie quiet. What none of them had realized is that Diana's brother had been watching over them from his concealed position among the bushes., from the moment they appeared from the portal together to Archer's disappearance through the same way. Martin could still make no sense of Diana's liking to the guy, and he found it slightly obnoxious that she was suddenly all to clingy to him. _Maybe it's just a temporary thing, like that Angus guy in Nova Scotia. Yeah, probably only that. Once she overcomes the whole thing she'll be back to normal. _With those final thoughts he decided to stop worrying about the issue at hand and go to sleep, deeply hoping it was what he was thinking it to be.

**So there's that... Wasn't very active lately because of holidays and college, but it's all good now. If you like the story don't forget to review, some feed back is always appreciated.**


	5. A shot at normalcy

Diana laid on her bed, her legs propped up the wall and a book on her hands. She sighed, momentarily taking a break from reading.

She was bored, to be honest. Two days had passed since the Christmas party, and she was frankly a little bit disappointed that Archer was taking his time to be in contact with her. The guy seemed like an enjoyable person, up to the point that she actually… _liked_ him.

_WHAT!?_

Where did that come from? She _liked_ him? She had only met the guy! But then again… he _was _kind of handsome. And he was young, only slightly older than her. He was also… quite peculiar, considering his line of work. Whenever she thought about people like him, the kind of guys that donned ballistic armor, blasters, and the latest combat equipment an agency like The Center could provide, she instantly thought of people with ape-like physique, relying more on their brute force and muscle than on any sort of intelligence or brains. But along came John (or 'Arch', as they called him affectionately), and he was living proof that his job was a lot more than just kicking doors in and smashing faces (although he did admit that there was a lot of that, too).

_Ok, he's kindda-sortta handsome, and he's a pretty smart guy. But still, I've just met him, I can't really say I like him._ Yet, she had a difficult time trying to label what was going on between them both. She had to admit that she was pretty giddy about the possibility of him calling or suddenly popping up and inviting her (or rather, asking her to take him to town, since that was the deal they had agreed upon). She looked like a young girl, and it was both amusing and disheartening to realize that.

"Well, glad to see you are having a nice day, sis. What with that shit-eating grin on your face" called a voice from her doorframe (_why the hell didn't I close my door, damn it?!_), tinged slightly with sass and sarcasm.

"I am having a nice day, yes, thank you, Martin. Why don't you turn around and go back the way you came? Or better yet, find Java and keep him company, he can put up with your crap. I'm in too much a good mood for you to ruin it." Diana impulsively snapped back before even giving a full thought to it. She normally avoided this kind of thing, but her patience towards her brother was really short recently, and, in all honesty, it was bound to happen.

"Yeah? So you can sneak out with that new boyfriend of yours? What's his face? Archie, Artie?"

"Archer. His name is Archer, and he's not my boyfriend, I've just met him. And if I were you, I wouldn't be complaining, Mr. Flirty, since you are always stalking girls you've just met seconds before. You have no right to pester me about befriending someone!" Ok, perhaps she _was_ a bit touchy about the subject. But it was also true that Martin was a very exasperating person at times. And that was exactly what was happening right now, he was being exasperating.

Her sudden outburst had left him wide-eyed and gaping at her, as if trying to find words to come up with. Diana, on the other hand, just picked up her book, slipped some footwear on, and pushed past him and outside the building. The blond agent could only follow her with his eyes and sigh, trying to understand the girl. He knew that his sister was a lonely person. That she was always striving for academic perfection, making her private life close to non-existent. He had to admit that, deep inside, he was glad that she was devoting more time to life outside the library. Yet, at the same time, the fact that she was getting so close to someone else (another _guy_, at that)… it made his blood boil inside him.

It was irrational, and he knew it. He didn't even know if it was his brotherly instinct, trying to protect Diana from a guy he didn't know, or… was there something else to it?

"Argh, no, there isn't anything else to it" he muttered to himself, trying to convince his own brain of that fact, "I'll just keep an eye out for that… Archer guy"

* * *

Diana huffed, sitting by one of the benches. Her mood was still touchy, but at least she was no longer around the main cause of her annoyance. Maybe now she could enjoy a moment of peac…

"Huh, you like history too?" the familiar, smooth-yet-firm voice called from beside her, making her jump in fright and place a hand on her chest.

"Are you always this sneaky?" she half-snapped, half-joked. Archer chuckled, raising his hands in an apologetic way before settling himself by her side.

"Sometimes. Other times I like to be noisy. Depends on my mood, I guess."

"Huh, is that so? And what does being sneaky mean, uh?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he simply answered, in a lightly seductive tone that was so unlike any other he had ever used in his life. He was surprised, and Diana couldn't help but blush, slightly taken aback by the previous comment, but not uncomfortable at all. A few seconds ticked by, and the silence grew slightly uncomfortable, so it was only right that he made an effort to cancel it out.

"So… I… I'm sorry I didn't call before. Things have been… kind of weird around The Center lately, and we've been all trying to figure out why."

"Weird? How could The Center get any weirder?" she just had to ask, both of them chuckling at the idea.

"Yeah, I'll give you that. It's not much, it's just… you know, ever since the Christmas thing nobody but Billy has seen M. O. M. at all. I mean, it wasn't that she was constantly looking around and above our shoulders, but as of late she has literally not come out of her office. Everyone is smacking their heads around, but I decided to use the commotion to escape here and see if your offer still stands."

"Wow, you actually did that? I feel flattered." She was, really. Archer had grown up to be a by-the-book type of 'operator', so it was really surprising that he was bending the rules and testing the boundaries of protocol to come and see her. It also subtly talked about how much she cared about her, but she wasn't about to comment on that.

"So, you've come here to take me into town?" she mischievously asked.

"Actually, I came here for you to take _me_ into town… but yeah, your version sounds nicer. So, what do you say?" he asked, faking adorable puppy eyes (which Diana found absolutely adorable).

"Well, since you are asking so nicely…"

* * *

They wasted no time while he drove through town, behind the wheel of a Center vehicle that was (incredibly enough) very discreet, all things considered.

"You really don't know where you are going, right?" Diana asked, highly amused by Archer's cluelessness.

"Well, no. I've never been in these streets! I thought you were supposed to ease me into this 'real world' thing, not throw me into the shark pit." he jokingly replied, truly at loss as of where he was supposed to be going.

"Ok, ok, Mr. Winy. Go straight two more blocks and then turn right. We can start there." She finally conceded, trying hard not to giggle at the thought of having to babysit a guy older than her. When they finally reached the place, Archer was left open-mouthed, and Diana snatched her phone from the side-pocket of her jeans and quickly snapped a shot of his reaction. She was _so_ gonna treasure that particular photo.

"So, since you are this tough, fearless, action man, I thought I would bring you to a place where your abilities were put to test. What do you say?" she asked, carefully studying his face.

"I say… that I want to try those Bumper-Cars things" _Yep, it's gonna be epic from here on…_

* * *

The office was silent and cold. It was the way she wanted it to be. She didn't want to feel the necessity to get out, and thus, she had tweaked the ambiance in her office to suit her mood and make a prolonged stay more pleasant. The usual poker-face gesture (always fabricated, and generally only in presence of The Center's staff) was not present at all for the past two days, instead replaced by the living image of sadness, only changed when Billy entered the room to attend to his duties. It didn't escape her attention that the culprit of this was also part of the best team of agents she had at her disposal. But it was just as true that the teenage girl was right. It had been a mistake, what she had done. She was fully aware that Archer wasn't her biological son, but she could actually admit, beyond any doubt, that she felt like he really was. It was a feeling that she had tried to bury behind indifference and neutrality, but the more she thought about it… it was impossible for her to not feel it. She could remember clearly, the moments of elation and satisfaction that she felt whenever she was informed of his achievements (the fieldwork exam, and later the application for the Special Teams most prominently, but not limited to just that at any rate), and the worry and anguish that she felt every time he went out with his Team on an assignment, unsure if he had any chances of coming back alive.

_We can guarantee you a medal, a body bag, or both._ Archer's biological uncle (his mother's brother) was serving with the commonly-called Delta Force unit, a fact that she didn't want to remember at all, because the unit's most famous quote always came to her mind. And it tortured her to think that way.

And now? She wasn't sure what to do. She had gone so far now, and it seemed unwise to make it known, after all this time. And the original problem would be back again: everyone would think that his success was nothing but her pulling strings for him, and it wasn't the case in here. The kid… her _son_, dare she say it, had earned every single achievement and position he had held, presently held, or would hold in the future, and she _would not_ risk his brilliant career just to feel better about herself.

And just like that, the decision was made. Not easy, and not the best for her. But it was the best for him.

* * *

"Thanks for causing me a concussion" Diana half-joked, rubbing the back of her sore neck.

"Hey, it was you who insisted that we went for a second run at this" he defended, helping her stand from the Bumper Car she had been on.

"Yeah, because I could tell you liked them. I didn't know you were this… competitive"

"Yeah, well, take a curse or two about Advanced Driving at The Center and you'll be really good at these things, too. And… well, not long ago we commandeered a Korran hovertank while on mission, and I got to drive that day. Same principle, just… a lot less destruction."

"My neck doesn't agree…"

"I'll make it up to you. How about some of that 'Cotton Candy' thing you like so much?"

"How do you know?!" she was really surprised. There was no way for him to know that because she had never told him in the first place.

"Every time we've passed the place that sells them you turn to look at them. Maybe I could try some myself."

"I… I would like that, yeah" she could only say, once again baffled at another display of his intelligence and perceptiveness.

"Good. Shall we?" he offered his arm, and she automatically locked arms with him. And once again, no awkwardness, no privacy invaded. It was right. Like back at the party two days ago. It made her feel funny in her stomach, and she could actually feel her heart rate climb slightly… along with some less pleasant sensations. Like the fact that she was beginning to sweat lightly.

"Uhm, sorry, I need to use the little girls' room. Would you mind going ahead and buy the cotton candy? I'll be back real soon"

"Yeah, sure, the line is a bit long, anyway"

* * *

Five minutes of breathing normalization exercises and many reassurances later, Diana stepped out of the public restroom, just in time to bump into another familiar face.

"Billy?! What are you doing here?" Diana asked, surprised to see him again so soon.

"Diana! Thank God! Is he here? Is Archer with you?" the disguised alien nervously rambled, presumably looking around for the male Agent.

"Hi, Billy!" he didn't have to search much, thankfully. Archer greeted him at the same time he gave Diana one of the puffy candies he was carrying.

"Guys, we have a serious problem…"

* * *

**Cliffhanger. Love cliffhangers. As usual, if you like the story so far please take your time to leave some input. If there ae things that you htink could improve then leave them in your review too. Both things help the story get better or mantain some degree of quality.**


	6. Hotspots

**Sorry for the delay, hope you like it.**

"Guys, we have a serious problem…" the disguised alien declared, looking around like crazy, earning a couple of weird looks from the two agents.

"Billy, calm down! You are about to blow a gasket!" Archer called, stuffing his mouth with sugar cotton right after finishing the sentence.

"Yeah, and you are not making much sense either" Diana completed, poking at the ball of cotton with her fingers and taking away a decent-sized chunk.

"The Center's sensors have picked up traces of alien tissue all around the globe. Most of them appear to be in places of normal interest, government buildings and the like. We've sent teams to investigate them, but the others… we found them on Center safe houses and stations, and those places are now out of contact with us"

"For how long have you tried to contact them?" Archer was now very interested in what Billy was saying realizing that whatever it was that had the alien worried it surely was something important.

"A few hours now, some of them have been out of contact since yesterday"

"M. O. M. needs us to investigate?" Diana was now interested too, but trying not to show too much eagerness.

"No. One of the traces leads right here, and it appeared right after you two arrived in here. We have reasons to believe that you were being followed."

"But why? Why would they follow us? Do they now about our work?" as Diana finished this sentence, she was tackled to the ground by someone, whom she later recognized as Archer, as a searing bolt of heated, ionized plasma flew right past were she had been standing, accompanied by a guttural roar that iced the blood on her veins and made people run in the direction opposite of its origin. She looked up only to find John standing between her and any incoming fire that came in her direction.

"Arch!" Billy exclaimed, lobbing an object in the agent's direction, who caught it when it came closer to him. He pawed the object, which resolved into the familiar shape of a handgun-sized blaster, and then he took aim, sending his own plasma towards the creature. Their attacker, an alien with sickly-pale green skin, tall, humanoid-like muscular appearance, and sporting what looked like a black fitted-suit with a few armor plates added on top.

"Billy! Get Diana out of here!" Archer shouted, blind-firing from above the turned-over stand that he was using as cover. More plasma singed the edge of his cover, heating up the air near his head and melting away the material slowly.

"What about you?" Diana shouted over the noise of the firefight.

"I'll be fine; I need to know you are safe. I'll be right behind you guys.

"You promise?" escaped from her lips before she could stop to think about it. Both shared a slightly-confused-yet-sincere look at each other before he made his promise. He resumed his role on the firefight by sighting down towards the threat and letting off a few shots of his own, while Billy and Diana scurried away, jumping into one of the portals that led to The Center.

"Good. Show yourself, sun-bleached lizard!" Archer shouted above his head. The firing had subsided, and a burnt smell permeated the air. Archer left his cover, bringing the blaster's sights to his eye and scanning the area directly in front of him. He wanted to leave so badly, but he had a job to do. He had an ugly alien to capture. Or kill.

The blaster suddenly flew away from his hands, and he felt a kick to his chest. He fell to the floor, and instantly rolled before being scorched down by more plasma fire. The alien creature materialized into thin air, but before his active camouflage faded away completely Archer was already in motion, sending a kick towards the alien's mid-section, connecting with where the left-side ribs of a human would be. The creature flinched with pain, and a split-second later the Center agent slammed the base of his palm on the alien's face, following with quick kicks to the 'gut'. The alien blocked some of the last kicks, swiping at him and connecting with one of Archer's cheeks. The agent tumbled back, feeling the alien trying to get him on a headlock, to which he quickly reacted by elbowing the bastard, breaking the headlock before it was even completed around his neck, then he spun instantly and head-butted his enemy on the mouth. The alien ran out of patience, simply sending the human flying a few meters backwards with one simple swing to the chest. He was about to finish the job, send the agent with his maker, when he was struck in the head by a bolt of plasma, blowing it clean off the shoulders.

"What the actual fu…" Archer muttered to himself, scanning for the source of the shots. His heart sunk in hi chest when he found it.

Diana was trembling, holding a blaster similar to the one Archer had just lost. The smoking barrel was a give-away, and the shocked state she was on was hard to ignore.

"Diana… it's ok… just… give me the blaster, ok?" Archer got closer to her, moving by her side so she wouldn't fry him where he stood. The teen girl could not stop trembling, her breath coming in short bursts.

"I… I didn't… I wanted…" she was unable to finish even a simple sentence, the shock of having taken a life (a disgusting and hostile one, but a life anyways) not fading away over time.

"I know, it's ok, Diana. You did the right thing." He didn't know what to do, how to help her overcome her current state. He was so out of touch with the outside world he didn't even know how to console a person that needed to be comforted out of a bad situation. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ Diana slumped against him, stopping him from kicking his own ass some more. He reflexively wrapped his arms around her, dubious at first, while Diana dug her face into his chest and let a couple of sobs roll out of her lips, "It's ok. We should go. Someone else should take care of this."

* * *

A portal to the Center was opened, and they both slowly crossed through it, leaving behind the scene and entering the luxurious office of their boss. The second they were back into The Center's Headquarters they were being ushered into a couch, where Archer made Diana sit while M. O. M. brought over a glass of water for the shell-shocked teenaged agent.

"There's a reason why we haven't slated your team to be part of the Special Teams, agent Lombard. I'm glad you are safe, but don't run unnecessary risks in the future. Is that clear?" Diana broke out of the haze long enough to wonder how could the woman have such a motherly, yet all-business, face at the same time.

"Y-yes…"

"It was my fault, M. O. M. We shouldn't have been in there, and we wouldn't have if it weren't for me." Archer tried to shift the blame into him for a simple reason: he felt really guilty for having put Diana on that particular situation, insisting on seeing what was outside. He felt foolish for it, like a little fucking kid who needed to go out to the park so badly, except for the fact that he wasn't a damned kid anymore. He had to get his priorities straight.

"Wherever you go and whoever you are with on your spare time is a non-issue, agent Archer. This incident could have happened to anybody else, or at any other time and place, so don't dwell on that. Rather, we need to act on what we know. Your attacker was only one of many, all of them attacking either centers of political and ideological power, or some of our main response posts and safe houses. So far, you are the only ones to come back alive from one of these attacks, but we have teams now bringing the few survivors that remain."

Martin chose that exact moment to arrive into the office, in company of Java and Billy. He instantly turned his attention to Diana and her dazed state and something inside him quickly snapped.

"What the hell is going on in here? What happened to you, Di?" just then he noticed Archer kneeling near her, "You! What did you do to my sister?!" before Archer could even articulate the word he was thinking about (_What?_, obviously), a sucker punch landed across his face, sending him down to the floor. He was able to block the second blow and send his attacker backwards with a simple shove. Before Martin tried to re-engage, Java bear-hugged him from behind to stop him, while M. O. M. got between both of her agents to discourage any further conflict.

"That's enough, agent Mystery! Stand down or I'll make sure you regret the very moment you entered this office." There was ice in her voice, and not of the good kind. The commotion helped Diana to finally break out of the shock, only to find her date (_Date? Yes, date. What do you think it was, you dumb girl?_) on the ground wiping blood away from his wounded lip. It was her turn to yell, and she could give Martin a run for his money any day of the week.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?! YOU DAMNED BRUTISH, DUMBASSIC IDIOT!" she was mad at her step-brother, enough to not care about what she had just said, instead worrying about the man her brother had just assaulted "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" John answered, tasting the copper-ish tang of blood in his mouth.

"Diana, please take agent Archer to the medical wing to get that scratch patched up. I'll deal with this." The Center's manager dryly ordered to the girl, who obeyed and helped Archer off the ground, later locking her arm with his and leaving the premises, not before shooting a murderous stare at her step-brother.

"I… I'm sorry, M. O. M., I though he… had…" Martin started to apologize, but the manager simply cut him short by raising her hand and giving him a stern look.

"We'll talk about this later, agent Mystery. For now I need your attention in our most recent problem. The sensors have gone off-scale ever since the attempt at agents Archer and Lombard's lives. This is no longer an investigation; we are going on the offensive. All the teams that are not certified for weapon handling will receive a combat crash-course, so I suggest you tag along agent Archer and his team, maybe you'll find the right moment to apologize for your actions. Take Java and Billy with you, they could use the extra training too."

"I'm on it, M. O. M." the blond instantly answered, before realizing one small detail, "Uhm… Java, would you mind putting me down, please?"

"Huh? Oh, Java sorry"

"It's ok, big guy. Come on, let's get busy"

* * *

"I'm sorry about that. My brother can be a bit… impulsive, at times" the auburn-haired teenager said, using an alcohol-soaked cotton ball to clean Archer's bruised lip. The Center's orderlies would normally take care of that, but the medical wing was crammed with people in white coats running around, tending to the wounded that had begun to arrive right after them. _At least there were survivors._

There were casualties too. She didn't want to look at those. She had had enough death for a while.

"Yeah, well, I think I can understand where he's coming from. I… was pretty worried about you back there, you know?"

"R-really? I mean… I thought you were this fearless, brave guy who never worried about… anything" she sheepishly declared, a slight blush tinging her cheeks with a light shade of pink.

"I'm not that way. I worry a lot. Sometimes about small things, and sometimes about important things. I'm just a human after all, not a machine" he mused momentarily, then jumping off the place he had been sitting into a standing position, right in front of her.

"I… just wonder, which of those I am…" her brain wasn't doing her any favors by spewing words before she could process what she was about to say. It was helping her come up with a good apology that could get her out of tight spot she was on when the guy in front of her said something that sent a pleasant chill down her spine:

"You are important to me"

Her breath caught in her throat when he finished that sentence. No one had ever told her those words, and she had to admit… they were beautiful to hear, and she felt so much happier after hearing them. They unconsciously got lost in each other's gaze, the chemistry between them both working its magic. It was obvious to anyone with two working neurons that they were a match, despite the fact that they had known each other for not so long. In the end, reality caught up to them a bit too soon for their liking.

"I'll… look around. The orderlies might need some help. Think we could hook up later?" Archer said, already looking forward to it already.

"Yes, sure, I'll go find M. O. M."

They both tended to their duties of the day, waiting for the moment they could be in each other's company again.

* * *

"Ma'am! The subject is ready for interrogation!" Max stood still at attention, completely conscious of the power figure inside the room with him.

"Why don't you take a break? I'm sure your team could use the time off, Max" the manager stated, more like a veiled order rather than a suggestion. The team leader took his queue to leave, and soon it was only her and her other-worldly guest.

"It's been long, Olivia. How many years, exactly? Ten? Fourteen? We can be forgetful at tim…"

"Eighteen years. And you know that's not my name. Not anymore."

"No matter how many times you change it, we know you are still Olivia Mendel. Disguises can't fool us, remember?" the alien answered, highly amused with the different behavior of the human female.

"Good. Then let's cut the chase, you know what I want. Where are they?"

At this question the alien simply grinned, "Close. And he is looking for him."

The manager stiffened, memories coming back to her.

_Not possible. Not now, and not my kid._

* * *

**Cliffhangers. I love them sometimes. **

**Please read and review. We count on your support to keep writing. See ya next update.  
**


	7. OPERATION: Cold Castle

**Update time**

"Listen up, agents. We have identified the attackers, a collective of alien races that call themselves The Hive. Their motivations are… unclear at the moment, but we do know that they have crippled a good portion of the planet's defenses against outsider invasion. They have concentrated their efforts in one specific place, a research lab on a former oil platform in the Arctic, where The Center develops sensitive bio-technologies. We believe that they want to appropriate some of these technologies to use them against us, and that makes this assignment a top priority. Team Mystery will support Team Falcon on this operation. Agents Lombard, Mystery, and Billy have been cleared for use of lethal weaponry, while Java will provide support as gear transporter. It is imperative that you recover any information stored on the servers and any samples of work in progress you might find. Failing to do so, your priorities should shift into demolition, and obliterate the compound after exfiltration. The details will be on your data pads and you can review them on your way to the target. Get moving, agents, time is of the essence. "

* * *

There's one thing to be said about Arctic winds: they make for a bumpy ride, even on the most advanced aircraft known to man. Java had already made a mess of the floor, helped along by Martin, while Diana did her best to keep the contents of her stomach in (and looking nearly ready to lose it). When she felt she was about to give up, the person by her right side presented her with a small, brown-ish cube.

"This will help with the nausea" Archer said, helping her by setting the cube near her mouth so she could eat it without using her numb hands. The girl's brother looked up just in time to see that and send a death-glare that went unnoticed by everyone else. By the time Diana had consumed the cube, she was feeling a lot better, the nausea having subsided to the point where it was just an after-thought.

"Thanks. What was that, anyway?" she felt obligated to ask. James was about to answer when a familiar southern drawl filled the Intercom.

"Two minutes, guys! You might want to gear up now while you can!"

The eight people on the cargo hold unstrapped their bodies from the seats they had been occupying. The four members of Falcon deftly and expertly slipped into their personal armor gear, while the members of team Mystery struggled a bit with theirs. After finishing the last buckle on his leg armor, Archer helped Diana finish with hers, double checking that the armor was correctly strapped, then checking Martin, Java, and Billy's job on their own, which turned out to be quite decent considering they were newbies. Plasma blasters were passed along, four of them looking brand new, while the other four were so heavily customized that they looked nothing like the original design they were based on.

"GO! Ramps are open!" the copilot shouted from the cockpit, as a volley of enemy fire struck the side of the aircraft just before the eight occupants where exiting from the back. The loud shriek of abused metal assaulted their ears, and everyone hit the deck in an act of reflex, lest the tilt-rotor aircraft yawed their way and gave them a very tight haircut.

"Shit! They hit hydraulics! We'll be fine, but we need to bug out. We can only be on-station for 20 minutes max, so get moving, boys and girls"

Max was the first one to return fire, the air around the group heating up quickly.

"Get them out of the line of fire!" he ordered, and the rest of his team got Diana, Martin, Java, and Billy on their feet and into the nearest cover.

"Contact! On our 10'o clock!" Anne shouted, sighting two figures that Archer recognized as more of the aliens that had attacked him and Diana at the fair, and used the momentary rush of adrenaline he was feeling to swiftly gun down the attackers.

"Targets down! How's it looking over there, Max?" James called, checking on Diana and crouching as low as possible to avoid stray shots.

"It… looks… clear!" the answer came after the final shot was made. The following silence, only hampered by the sound of the waves crashing down and the furious winds, was almost as deafening as the firefight itself had been.

"Let's move quickly, you heard our chauffeur, we've got 20 minutes tops before we are left stranded in here. Arch, take half of the teams with you and head over to the west lab. The rest of us will raid the larger East labs."

"I'll move faster with a smaller group. Why don't you let me take Martin with me? The two of us will be more effective than a foursome in those tight quarters."

"Alright. Martin, stay with Archer, he'll cover your back and you'll cover his. Do this right and we all get to go home in one piece, understood?"

"Got it" Martin only replied, a bit gruffly, before the group separated. He would gladly admit that he didn't really like his partner, although the reasons as to why he didn't like him were something he didn't want to really admit just yet.

The duo passed just right through a hatch-like doorway, both of them the embodiment of professionalism, although the differences in training showed in their demeanor and the way they moved.

"See anything back there, Martin?"

"Metal. Lots and lots of metal. Although that shouldn't be surprising, right?" the blond answered matter-of-factly. As they reached the lab in silence, Archer thought that maybe there wouldn't be a better time to reach out to Diana's brother… maybe probably no time at all.

"So… Martin, I have the feeling that you don't really like me. Do you mind if I ask why?" the operative asked to the blonde agent, while expertly cutting his way into the laboratory's servers via one of the many computers on the lab. The question was valid, so much that Martin felt like telling the truth for a change.

"Quite honestly, you are right, I don't like you. I wished I could tell you an exact reason as to why, but I guess I just have a bad feeling about you. I don't know, maybe I just want to protect her. In any case, don't take it personal, unless you hurt her, in which case I _will_ make you regret it, even if it costs me my job at The Center" a veiled threat was better than no threat, at least for him.

"Dully noted, Martin. Check on those file cabinets, I'm transferring all the data out of the servers."

"Understood"

The blond quickly rummaged through the aluminum cabinets, when the false ceiling above them came crashing down, two shadows along with it. The shadows resolved into two vaguely humanoid forms, composed of bubbling goo, which attacked almost as soon as they acquired form.

"Martin! Get away from them!" Archer shouted, firing fruitlessly at the enemies. The gooey blob sizzled and sputtered, but retained its integrity, as it screeched and threw itself against the operative. Archer rolled, an impressing feat, considering the tight space he was fighting in, accidentally flipping an Erlenmeyer flask when he jumped. The contents of the flask spilled over the enemy blob, immediately setting it on fire. The second blob tried to jump above the flaming remains, just to set itself aflame too, but the threat against its integrity was quickly extinguished. More blaster fire, this time coming from Martin, scorched the moving goo, gradually slowing the creep down, until the screeches and howling it made where unbearable to the two operatives. Archer quickly tossed another flask at the surviving blob, which suffered the same fate as its friend.

"Martin, are you ok?" Archer shouted, slightly deafened by the shrieks of the former threat.

"What?" The blond agent hadn't been as lucky, since he had been closer to the now-dead attacker. His ears rung heavily, not letting him hear anything at all.

"Shit. Max, come in, over!"

"Archer? Are you done with that data?"

"Affirmative, the data is downloaded, but Martin is deaf. Some blobs attacked us, and their shriek busted his hearing"

"You too, eh? Can you make it back to us?"

"Yeah, but I'll have to scorch anything on paper. Can't carry and fight with a deaf partner"

"Roger. Just bring him back alive, forget about the papers. The mission was retrieve or destroy, anyways."

The radio went silent, and Archer had to move to avoid getting stranded in a place where his demise could, quite literally, be around the next corner. He grabbed Martin by his arm and led him towards where the rest of the team where. With every step the sound of a struggle became louder, until the light streaks of blaster fire illuminated the corridor. Using the edge of the wall as cover, James peeked around the corner, finding a squad of the infamous reptile-like aliens, probably the responsible party for the rest of the team's predicament. Archer signaled Martin to stay put and silent, and produced an article that seemed very archaic when considering the top-of-the-line, high-tech equipment that his job provided: a .45 caliber handgun, with a tubular protrusion in front that could only be identified as a silencer. The object was one of M. O. M. 's mysterious gifts, although why, exactly, he was given this particular object remained a mystery. On one of the sides was an engraved name, 'Ian', which was not his own. Despite the mystery surrounding the heirloom, Archer could not deny that it had been useful more than once.

A muffled slap echoed down the corridor, and one of the alien fell, now the owner of an extra hole in its head. One of his partners turned toward the new threat, receiving two shots to the torso. Its light armor stopped the projectiles, but a third to the head did the trick. The two remaining aliens retreated down the hallway, while Archer fired the remaining rounds on the magazine in their general direction, while pulling Martin's sleeve, signaling him to follow. He reloaded on the move, narrowly avoiding being blasted into oblivion by… Diana.

"Blue! Blue!" he shouted after covering behind the wall. It was sheer dumb luck that he was still breathing.

"Diana, hold your fire!" Archer heard Anne say.

"Oh my God! Sorry!"

"'S okay, just relax. Arch, come over here!"

James led his partner towards the rest of the team, taking him straight toward Anne, and explaining what had happened with the agent's ears.

"I'll handle this. Help Max and Valentin with the data, we'll hold the line here."

"Roger", he then turned to Diana, who was trying to hide some shame at her mistake, "are you alright?"

"I… uhm… yeah. Sorry, I thought it was one of those things and I just…"

"It's ok, don't worry about it, I'm fine. Give us a hand with your brother and we'll get out of here alive"

Archer moved to help Java, Billy, Max, and Valentin with their task, while Anne examined Martin's ears to make sure there was no physical damage. Once she was satisfied he'd be fine, she looked around to make sure they were out of earshot.

"Ok, girl, time to spill the beans. Are you and Arch… you know…"

"Uh… I'm not…sure this is the right time and place to discuss… that…" Diana answered, head slightly vowed down and her cheeks flushed bright red.

"No, no, don't try to wave me off, girl. You are actually _interested_ on our friend Arch here! Spill! Now!" the older woman demanded, momentarily looking like a teenage girl throwing a fit at her friend's refusal to talk about her crush. Which wasn't very far from the truth. Hell, she even added a small pout at the end of it, for good measure. Diana couldn't help but giggle at the situation. She might be in a steel husk in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, on the wrong side of many enemy weapons, and probably about to be left behind by their only means of escape, but she had one friend by her side, and that's a lot more than she usually had at times like these. _It's not like I haven't faced that numerous times before, right?_

"Later, Anne. I promise. If we make it out of here."

"_When_ we make it out of here, Di. And I'll hold you to that promise."

"Heads up, we are moving! Java's carrying the files, and Valentin has the hard drive. Archer, lead the formation, everyone else, behind him, cover our flanks. Diana, stay close to Java and help us get Martin out. Move up!"

The group assumed their ordered position and returned the way they had come, suddenly hit by the cold wind when they finally made their way outside. A smoking aircraft, the one they had arrived in, yawed right on its axis and lowered itself near to them, dropping the ramp open for them to get in.

"Come on, guys, let's go! This bird is already flying funny. I'm not sure if we'll be able to make it home at all."

"Great, more good news"

* * *

"_Agents, the mission was a success. Despite overwhelming odds and an unknown enemy force you were able to bring back important research, which is known being worked on by our scientific staff. While I'm heavily displeased with the damage taken by the aircraft, I'm relieved to see you all back in one piece. Now, if you excuse me, I have pressing issues to tend to. Remain on stand by for further operations, but otherwise you are dismissed."_

* * *

"Ok, that was a bit weird." Max mused, while followed by the rest of Falcon team.

"Why? Because she didn't kill us or because she was glad we came back alive?" Archer asked in a tone half-joking and half-serious.

"A bit of both. I need to talk to you." Anne hurriedly took Archer by the arm and separated him from the other two guys, leaving Max and Valentin with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Woah, Anne, what are you doing?" the operative had nearly tripped with his own feet and was wondering why the woman was acting so strangely.

"Me? What are _you_ doing, Arch? The other guys might not be perceptive enough to notice what's going, but it turns out that I'm a girl…" she stopped when Archer have her a weird look, "…sort off… you know what I mean, dammit! What were you thinking? I get that you are always confined in here, and that you feel curiosity about the outside, but has it ever occurred to you that using Diana to live those dreams is wrong?!"

"What?! I'm not using her, Anne! Why would you ever think about that?" the operative was incredibly angry that someone like Anne, who should now him better than that, was accusing him of something he was not.

"Sorry, Archer, but we've known each other for some time already, and I know this: you've never been with someone else. You don't know the concept of 'love', and everything it entails. I have a right to be concerned, because she's young and naïve. And you? You are inexperienced too, and your job is one where killing takes place every day. What can you offer to her? A letter that certifies your death, signed by M. O. M.? Days, or even weeks of uncertainty, not knowing whether you are still alive or you've been shot to death? And, if by some miracle, you survive to grow old along her side, how will that be? Will you be confined to a wheelchair? Will you be sound of mind? James… can you really do that to her? I don't even think you realize the full extent of what you two are doing. I really believe you should be thinking this through. At least… talk to her about all this. She needs to know, and she needs to hear it from you."

* * *

As much as he hated to admit it, Anne was right, and he had completely forgotten about the issues she had touched. He muttered an almost inaudible 'thanks' and numbly walked to where he knew Diana would be. He arrived to infirmary way faster than he thought he would. The door was wide open, and he could see Diana through the clear glass, sitting by the side of Martin's bed. The blond agent had somehow gotten some minor injuries that had required some medical attention (probably during the lab firefight, or during the bumpy insertion which nearly trashed the assignment at the beginning). James tapped the glass, not wanting to intrude more than necessary. Diana looked up towards him, then walking towards him until they were both outside the room.

"Hi" Lombard chimed in, standing on her toes to lean in and… plant a kiss on Archer's left cheek. His heart raced for a moment, and he felt a grin beginning to form in his lips. The girl realized what she had just done, and a bright shade of red gave color to her face.

"Hi there. I… wanted to talk with you. Are you busy right now?"

"Not really. Martin is asleep; I'd say he's earned it. The doctors said his injuries are the lightest he's treated this week, and I can't say he's wrong. Everything I've seen so far is… I can't even bear to say it…"

"It's ok, I know you are not used to this", James consoled her, bringing her slender frame closer to him. She leaned on him, and for a moment the stress was relieved and put behind her. But there was matter at hand, "Hey, uh, I wanted to talk to you about… well… this. I… I'm not sure I've told you… what it's like to be with someone with my job. It's a job where people tend to… not come back, and that's something you cannot understand. It's something you don't need to go through…"

Diana stopped him from continuing, lowering her gaze to the floor.

"Are you saying what I think you are saying?" it was almost a whisper, full of regret and sadness.

"I've never gone through this, Di, and I do not know what I'm supposed to feel, but if there's one thing I can say is that I can't go through with any of this if you don't understand what could certainly happen. One day I'll be here, and the next. I might not. Is this worth it to you?"

"It is, James. I don't know if it will work on the long run, but I don't want to let this chance pass me by. I've made that mistake before. That is… if you let me do it."

"Diana Lombard, are you asking me to be your couple?" the girl answered with a giggle, "Shameless".

"Oh, shut up, Mr. Archer, it's not like you didn't see it coming!" Diana faked annoyance

"Maybe, maybe not. Truth be told, I never dared to even think about it."

"Why not? You are a wonderful person… excluding the 'killing is your job' part, of course."

"Thank you very much…" he couldn't avoid muttering, "Let's just say that I am not very well versed on these issues, and well… you… you are… you know…"

"I'm what?"

"Well… uh… beautiful…"

That was something she hadn't been called for real. Sure, she had been pranked by many guys (Martin, mainly) about it, but no guy had been so… forthcoming about it. He was, really, a first one. Why was it so _damned_ _hard_ to make him see that? That was easy to answer, too: she was inexperienced, just like he was. This was a time for both of them to learn, and she desperately wanted to know how to tell him how lucky she felt to have met him (they both owed Billy a lot for that). But there would be time for that. When the fate of the whole friggin' planet wasn't resting on their shoulders.

"Thank you. It's the first time someone's told me that… for real", finally admitting it was… refreshing, for a change,, and she only doubted for a few seconds before she decided to teach him something new. She wrapped her arms around his neck (having to stand on her toes to do that), brought him closer to her, and pressed her lips against his own. Maybe they were going a bit fast, considering their inexperience, but neither of them cared at all. It was great, and it made them feel wonderful. So why not? The kiss extended beyond the 'cute' boundary and was now on the 'intimate' terrain, a dangerous place for the first time. They parted for air before things got a bit too far and into the 'awkward' category, but the kiss left an impression on both of them that would take a while to go away. Even though, real life was still happening, and they had pressing issues at the moment. Like the grunt and gag that came from the room Diana had been on before.

"Could you two knock it off?! I'm supposed to be helped over here!" Martin called out loudly from the bed he was sitting on.

"I'm sorry, I have to go kill my brother…" she muttered.

"It's ok, I'll go to the Range. Thank you… for putting my mind at ease."

"And just for that?"

Archer chuckled to himself.

Everything was alright, and while it was less than ideal in some terms, their brand new relationship looked quite promising.

* * *

"_Why now? They've had eighteen years to attack! Why are they looking for him now that he's old enough to effectively fight them?"_

"_He's instrumental to their plan, they needed him to be older. Whatever they are looking for, however, doesn't call for him to be alive. If he attacks them directly, he will probably perish, and they'll win."_

"_I won't let them. Even if it costs me my job, I'll keep him safe. He's my son, I…"_

"_Don't be foolish, Olivia. You adopted him, you raised him for as long as you were able to, but you did not give birth to him. Is it really worth it to you? Losing everything for a stranger?"_

"_He's not a stranger. You are right, he's not a son of my own blood, but he means everything to me, and Helen made me promise that I would do anything in my power to keep him safe if the worst happened, on same the day he was born, so if He thinks he'll get to him, it will be over my dead body._

"_If you think that's the best, I won't argue Olivia. But he's in real danger, along with that girl of his, and you are willing to fight a battle that's already lost…"_

"_No battle is lost until we get there, Arthur. And I think you know more than you're telling me…"_

* * *

**I've just realized a HUGE mistake I made on the last two chapters: I accidentally changed James' name to John. I'll fix those typos ASAP, but first I need some actual spare time. If you liek the story, have any ideas you'd ike to see on it, or think it's going great, please take yur time to leave a review. I do read them. See ya alter.  
**


	8. Being Human

"Come on, kid, you are slacking, step up your game!" Max shouted at Archer, who shook his head to clear it from the shellshock of Max's attacks. Despite the fact that he was encased in The Center's new exo-suit prototype, the fact that Max was using the same set-up as him gave him practically no advantage. The suit had been on prototype stage right before the invasion, but its status had been pushed forward to help on the fight against the enemy aliens. Falcon had been assigned to help test the equipment, and so far the gear seemed to be up to (and beyond) expectations. The problem was, rather, the testers, or at least one of them. Max threw another right hook, targeting the younger operative's ribs, but Archer suddenly found new strength and used his right arm to block the attack, then, almost instantly, struck Max's faceplate with his padded elbow, causing him to stagger back. Instead of letting him recover from the daze, James continued his attack, delivering a kick to Max's stomach, followed by another kick, this time to the back of Max's knee, and then finished with an open-palm strike to where the bridge between the mouth and the nose would normally be. Max was too stunned to quickly stand back, but it wasn't really necessary at the moment.

"Okay, I think that's enough, gentlemen, we are done here. The telemetry we recovered from this test should help us improve the technology on the suits. M. O. M. will be pleased with the results, we hope" a technician declared, powering down the suits to allow the operatives a safe removal of the gear.

Both men started the lengthy process of removing the exo-suits, starting by their upper and lower limbs, until only the chest rig was left. To remove that, they needed some assistance, which the technicians promptly lent. While the tech teams began discussing their findings and new data, both Max and James headed for the exit door, Max rubbed his neck, sore from the last round of combat, while Archer remained silent along the walk through the hallways of The Center's research wing.

"What's on your mind, Arch? You are acting real weird lately, and frankly, I'm worried. We are fighting a war for survival, after all. If it's a problem and you need to think over…"

"No, I'm fine. I just have a couple of things in my head right now, but I can manage" he bald-facedly lied to the team leader, but Max was having none of it.

"This is about that girl, Diana, right kid? Don't get me wrong, she's a nice person, and her fieldwork is really competent, but you are naïve in the personal relationships area, and that could turn into a liability. I don't want to have to get back here and face her to break the news that you just got killed in the field-"

"That's funny," Archer declared, suspicion heavy in his voice, "it's kind of the same thing that Anne told me just a couple of days ago" the realization hit him like a speeding car, although he was hardly surprised.

"You already knew, or at least suspected something"

The other man just shrugged apologetically, but not smiling at all.

"I had my doubts, Arch. You started acting differently the second you met her, and you don't expect me to suspect or theorize about it? Give me a break; I've been at this for a little longer than you have. I have no problem with any of this; I'm frankly pleased that you found someone that gives you a purpose to live. But I don't want you to lose the scope of what your duty is, and certainly not to lose the scope of what we can lose if we don't keep up to this new enemy. They've been oddly discreet about their attacks, but that could change immediately, and we are Earth's first and last line of defense. I need you to understand this and put the survival of all the life on our planet above everything else. Are you willing to do just that?"

"If you really have to ask that then I can't avoid but thinking that you no longer trust me, Max. In that case, I shouldn't even be in your team anymore, then…"

"I did not say that, kid. And if I didn't trust you then you would have been out even before the incident at the fairgrounds. I am just reminding you what's at stake and what should be your priorities at this time. You can go careless later if you wish, but not at this moment. Just think about that."

Max left Archer on his own, while the younger operative swallowed the lump on his throat. Despite being reassured by Diana that their relationship could work (and there really was no rational reason to think it wouldn't), he found himself wondering every now and then. He admitted that he was slightly distracted at times, but he did his best to not allow it to interfere with his duties, and he kept the relationship a tight secret that only Falcon and Mystery teams knew about, owing to the fact that both of them served in those teams. Keeping it on the down low also served to protect their jobs, since The Center's policies were pretty clear when it came to interactions on the job. There really was no point for him to sweat it, and he decided to just play it cool as best as he can.

* * *

"_The girl is none of your concern, that's my and his responsibility" the manager declared to her guest, losing her cool for just a moment_

"_She is close to him. She is a liability, and they'll look for his weak spots. If they get to her, if they make him try to save her, he will do their bidding, just to keep her safe. And we both know that they will not stop with this world. With a slave soldier as good as he will become, they'll use him for as long as they want…"_

"_Wait a second, what do you mean by close? They are supposed to be friends, as far as I know"_

"_Come on, Olivia, are you that blind when it comes to him? They are both private people, with great intellects, and with little experience with the opposite sex. Did you really think they would just shake hands and compare notes over coffee?"_

_She was forced to admit that the idea had not even occurred to her. She had never had 'close' relationships, just friendships, so she had figured that maybe the kid would be just the same. But his animal instinct was more pronounced than hers, and attraction to females had to show up at some point in life. She SHOULD have seen it coming, so why did it take her by complete surprise? It was hardly the appropriate question anymore, she had to take measures right now._

"_And how would you know? You have been here as my 'guest' for this whole time…"_

"_And I can still see everything, Olivia. Just because I can't physically get out doesn't mean I'm not everywhere. I keep an eye on him when I see it fit, and so far what I've seen has me really worried"_

"_I'll take care of it. Your only job is staying here and cause me no more trouble. Be a good guest"_

* * *

"Martin, please, stop acting like a child!" the auburn-haired girl whined, rolling her eyes at the annoyance that her brother made her feel.

"I'm just asking, Diana. Mom and Dad have to know if they have a new son-in-law. And how will you explain to them what he does for The Center? 'Hi, Mom and Dad, this is my boyfriend. He's handsome, charming, and blows aliens up into a thousand pieces for a living'. Yeah, I'm sure they'll be thrilled when they hear that" the blond teen teased, making Diana even more angry at him.

"First off, I wouldn't call him my boyfriend, it's childish. And second, Mom and Dad are NOT finding out about this any time soon, and you better keep your mouth shut about it, for your own good. Last but not least, I am a hell of a lot more worried about another person finding out than our parents."

"Another person? What other person could find out?" Martin asked, clearly not on the loop, but Diana wasn't feeling like sharing all the info.

"Never mind, I'll deal with that when I comes up, it's none of your business. I mean it, Martin", the tone of her voice lowered, and she actually sounded like she was pleading to him, "Please keep this secret for me. If you really care about my well-being then you have to keep this to yourself."

"It's ok, Di, I won't rat on you… provided you help me with my calculus homework when this is all over" he half-joked.

"Lot of good that will do to you" she muttered as an answer, smiling despite herself, when she received a message through her smartphone's hidden Center app. The application worked by running on the background of her phone's OS, hidden from the eyes of the curious, and required ID authentication to display the information sent. It was quite an ingenuous and simple communication method for agents with no U-Watch. Diana swiped the screen to unlock it and tapped the small icon that appeared on the taskbar, then raising the phone so the app could use the frontal camera to ID her. A photo was snapped, and the algorithm recognized her a second later, displaying a message from the one person she didn't want to have a talk with at the moment.

As instructed by the message, she quickly headed into the elevator to the Manager's office, shifting uneasily as the possible reasons for the call raced through her mind. The 'aliens invading Earth secretly' thing was bad enough, the last thing she needed was M. O. M. asking for her head on a pike. When the elevator reached the top of the tube and stopped, she went through the sliding door into the office, to find it… empty. The girl was utterly perplexed, looking around the place to try and find the woman that had summoned her in the first place, but the office was truly the deserted except for her. Out of the blue, a portal opened on the opposite side of where she was standing, the simmering mirage obviously meant for her to step into, yet making her feel cautious about it. In the end, she just took a deep breath and went through the portal, which took her somewhere unfamiliar for her. A small house, abandoned, by the looks of it, in the middle of a typical residential neighborhood. _The American dream_, Diana couldn't avoid thinking, listening to the faint laughter of kids, who probably playing in the backyard of a neighbor or in a nearby park. But why was she here? She was on the backyard of the house herself, the grass tall enough to make her feel dubious about stepping into it, and in the middle of it all was a small playground, just big enough for a child and maybe both his parents. Diana walked towards it, taking it on the state of the objects: a rusted-out set of swings, a plastic slide that looked ready to break in half, and a small, wooden 'fort' that had probably seen a lot of use in its golden age. The agent couldn't avoid smiling, thinking about how she would feel when she had her own children, playing in a setup not unlike this one, the laughter of the kids ringing in her ears and their energetic nature making them jump and bounce all around the place, with mommy and daddy in tow… and then her heart sank in her chest, thinking that maybe she would never have any of that due to the nature of her job. She rubbed the wooden fort with the tip of her fingers, finding a small engraving that she had missed due to her musing, and moved to that side so she could read it.

"_James and Mommy_" she read out aloud, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the two stick figures on its side, one of a small boy, and another of a taller woman, with short hair. _James and Mommy… they used to live here… but how?_

"He loved the swings. I couldn't pay him to stop playing on them, even after the time he fell from them. Scrapped hands and knees didn't sway his love from the things" the familiar voice said from behind her. M. O.M.'s eyes were slightly misty from some tears that threatened to flow free, but didn't. If Diana had any doubt that the manager actually had any feelings on the matter, then those doubts had evaporated by now, though it didn't soften her negative feelings toward the woman's actions at all.

"Why did you bring me here?" she softly asked, still thinking about the engraving on the fort.

"Not for this. I brought you here to discuss something off the record, away from The Center's cameras and microphones. I can't afford this to be made public, and, if I'm right about this, neither can you." the Manager declared, sitting in a battered lawn table set and beaconing Diana to sit across from her. The agent did so warily, feeling uneasy about the circumstances, "I won't lie to you, nor sugar-coat this, agent Lombard. I am aware of your unauthorized relationship to agent Archer, and I sincerely have no idea what to make out of it".

The auburn-haired teen chortled bitterly to herself, looking away from her boss while the older woman looked at her in a mix of surprise and slight anger, stopping short of rebuking the girl.

"So you know what to do when the child you adopted and raised becomes a threat to your career, you know what to do when we find ourselves in trouble, and you knew what to do when Octavia Pain turned me against you, yet, when it comes to your son having a relationship, you do not know what to do. You have disconnected yourself from his life so much that you can't do something so simple… in fact, I seriously think that you DO know what to do, you just don't want this to become a reason for the son that doesn't remember you to hate on you because you fired me and had my knowledge of The Center –and him- erased" Diana looked away from M. O. M., back towards the playground, and tried to imagine James as a kid, playing around in that very same backyard, with a younger and warmer M. O. M., or whatever her real name was. But that was the past, and it wasn't going to come back. Diana simply stood and faced M. O. M., simply requesting one thing: let me go back, and you can decide whatever it is you want to do with me, but please don't bring me here ever again. I don't want to know about his past, it feels like I'm betraying him, and I don't want to do that".

The girl's somber tone and seriousness took the manager by surprise, who simply pressed on her Ultra U-Watch and opened a portal for the young agent to go back where she had come from. While the brunette disappeared through the rippling mirage, M. O. M. just looked back at the playground, losing herself in the memories of better and happier times. The cold façade she had tried to build over the last years had evaporated in less than a week, and all that remained was a person that had been stripped bare in the emotional department. She was not fit to command The Center; her head was out of the game, extremely disconnected from the matters at hand, and focused on her personal problems. Exactly the kind of thing she aimed to avoid from the get-go, the reason why she had rescinded from the happy motherhood she had enjoyed for the few years that it lasted. All wasted, thanks to the one person she had hoped would understand her. She was alone in this, exposed, and feeling… human.

For the first time in many, many years, she allowed herself to silently cry.

* * *

Roy Landers talked calmly over the Communications headset that rested on his head, giving instructions to the people on the other side of the line, while he tried to remain calm. Nearly every one of his shifts had been just the same, answering to calls for help from strangers on the outside, while trying to keep them from communicating to someone else about the aliens. It was stressful, and they had already lost three people to breakdown, with the constant threat of losing more to it if the invasion kept on dragging on. As the other party of the conversation signed off, Roy sipped coffee from the styrofoam cup on the side of his workstation, but another incoming transmission quickly interrupted his brief peace.

"I can never get a break" he muttered, opening the channel to answer the call, realizing just a second too late that the transmission was encrypted with a military-grade protocol, "shit!"

"…repeat your last, didn't receive, over!"

"I repeat, identify yourself, rank and unit, over" he couldn't, in good conscience, just close the line and let people die out in the field.

"This is Lieutenant Grendel, Field Commander of AFO Raven from Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, who is this?"

"Listen to me Lieutenant, what's your situation, over?" although it was perfectly clear what was happening. On the background, Landers could hear yelling, explosions, and what he could only identify as cries of pain.

"We are engaged with hostiles, but they are not human! We can't fight them back effectively, and we are taking heavy casualties. We have no option but to pull back and wait for some backup. Can you assist, over?" the frantic but collected voice answered, occasionally broken by the staccato of a projectile assault rifle.

"Can't confirm or deny, Lieutenant, I'm passing this along to the higher ups immediately, remain on this line but retreat to safety. We'll dispatch support ASAP, over"

"Goddamit… Roger! Retreating south over the main road, will update on our new position. Out" the man nearly grumbled the last two sentences, then mobilizing to save his people while Roy tried to get a hold of the highest-ranking person in the facility, but failing to do so. He ran around the corridors, trying to find someone that could possibly have the authority to help the Lieutenant and his men. The answer to his problem came in the form of the only people who would scramble on such short notice to support people under fire. He nearly stumble over the opening blast door to the hangar, where he found the members of Falcon loading up a Center tilt-rotor aircraft for it to remain on stand-by for situations just like these.

"Are you guys up for an unsanctioned, off-the-books, and last minute deployment? There are lives on the line on this one, I promise" he said breathlessly, between gasps for air and cleaning his face from sweat.

"Shouldn't M. O. M. be telling us about this?" Max just casually asked before he listened to anything else that might cost him his own ass.

"I tried to locate her, but she evaporated into thin air. No one's running this train and we are headed straight towards a goddamn roadblock"

"Okay, talk fast, if there are lives riding on this one we should move quickly. We'll need faster transport" Max said, springing into action and motioning the rest of the team to pick up their equipment and follow.

"I can tap into the portal system and send you as close as possible, but the exfil will have to be in something way more conventional, so I'll tell your pilot to take off right the hell now" Roy answered, motioning on the data-pad he had produced from inside one of the pockets of his uniform.

"One more thing, call Team Mystery, we'll need more firepower and they need the field experience. They shouldn't be far away, so get them in here ASAP"

"Already on it"

Things were going awry for humanity but they would be damned if they left those soldiers to fend for themselves.

* * *

**I took my sweet time, I know, but life has been getting a bit hard lately, what with college and my freelancing, so yeah, I write when I can nevertheless, I hoped you liked this, please do leave your feedback in the 'Reviews' section and I'll see you in the next update.  
**


	9. Thin ice conspiracy

"Falcon has entered the A.O. Talk to me, Control"

"Okay, listen up, we have little time. I'll guide you through the suburban sea to the Spec Ops team. They are taking fire, so pick up the pace. You should split into two teams, one to relief the soldiers, and one to divert fire from them. Now start moving."

"Roger. Archer, take Diana, Valentin, and Annie. You'll flank the bastards and pump them full of led while Java, Billy, Martin and I will help the boys with their wounded. As soon as I tell you to fall back you do, understood?" Max rapid-fired while everyone checked their weapons and equipment. They were dressed into pretty much what every conventional Special Forces unit would be: camouflaged uniforms with no insignias, Kevlar body armor, and even projectile weaponry. No one that did Special Ops for a living would believe them but thy were hoping that the desire to leave immediate danger would make their affiliations a non-issue

"This is weird" Annie whispered, while they scanned the houses by the side of the road, "this place should be the vivid dream of the American dream. Instead, we are walking among a ghost town. I've always hated these things."

"Police that noise. Military checkpoint up ahead" Archer was right, they could see the unmistakable Olive Drab color of military tents, and what appeared to be a Command Unit. They half-expected the place to be manned, but there was nobody to receive them.

"Could be a trap. What do we do?" Valentin quickly asked, one of the few occasions in which he muttered a word.

"It's right on our path, we _have_ to go through it. Check your corners and move quickly, if you see something potentially useful, take it. Let's go."

And go they did, clearing every turn and doorway, finding only blood and corpses, but no living beings. Strange goo was also in the tents' walls, and it was clearly not blood.

"This is getting creepier by the second…" now it was Diana who was freaking out slightly by the imagery in front of her. It wasn't the first time she saw dead people, but it was the first time she saw so many in just one place, and the feeling that she might be the next one wasn't one that she liked very much.

"I know. Stay close…" Archer involuntary answered, at which both of them looked at the other, slightly shocked and taken aback by it, "… for safety"

"Yeah… safety…" the blush was threatening to come to both of their faces, when out of the blue the closest tent wall warped inward and was ripped open. Before he could engage, Archer found the barrel of his weapon pushed down, away from the attacker's body. Before the space lizard could further pin him down and put him out of action, he reacted and head-butted it straight in the face. The helmet he was wearing amplified the blunt force of the strike, throwing the attacker off and getting it off of him. The alien still had a firm hold on Archer's carbine, so the operative used it as leverage, flipping the creature into the ground, stomping his right heel into its face, and finally leveling up the barrel with its face. Three loud shots rang, and mustard-colored blood began oozing from the creature's perforated skull. Without worrying too much about the dead body, he swiveled to engage any other threats, only to find Diana finishing up an attacker by herself. On instinct, she had drawn her blade and stabbed the alien as soon as it got a chokehold on her, loosening its grip on her. Next she had drawn her sidearm and pumped five rounds into the threat, effectively ending its life. Whether it was all about the few training Archer had got into her, or it was simply her brain ordering her hands to do something to save her neck, they couldn't tell for sure.

"You ok?" he asked as a mere formality, to which she just nodded, and they trotted off to check on Valentin and Annie. They arrived just in time to see the male agent swinging his rifle and connecting the blow with the face of one of the aliens. It stumbled backwards, stunned by the strike, and Valentin drew his blade, striking the alien's throat, then pulling it back and aiming for the ribcage, where he delivered a killing blow. Annie was, at the same time, delivering a killing blow with her bare hands, an amazing feat, considering her rather lanky frame. They barely had any time to catch a breath before Archer motioned forward.

"Let's go, the guys have little time, we have to flank those bastards!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Martin, Java, Billy, and Max approached a battered group of men that they could only deduce were the people they had come to save.

"FRIENDLIES, FRIENDLIES!" Max shouted as they approached, as the barrels of the few standing men swung towards them.

"Hold fire! Are you the rescue team?" a burly man in a tattered combat outfit greeted while bandaging another one in the torso, covering a plasma-induced burn..

"Affirmative, Lieutenant. What's your situation?"

"We retreated from the town hall about ten mikes ago, just after getting the heads up from your guy. What branch are you?"

"We are not at liberty to discuss that, sir. We have an aircraft standing by for evacuation, but the enemy fire will make exfil impossible. A second team is attempting to flank the enemy, so we have to suppress them the best we can. How are you on ammo?"

"Low, maybe a couple of mags on each of us…"

The unmistakable crack of a projectile sniper rifle reached everyone's ears, as one of the alien's head blossomed into a fountain of blood. A volley of semiautomatic fire erupted from the flank of the enemy, catching them off-guard. The roles had inverted so suddenly that the aliens were shocked at the humans' initiative, retreating instinctively from the aggressive attack, probably to regroup and attack in numbers.

"Great work, guys. Give us a hand, plenty of wounded over here. Martin, I need you to designate a landing zone, wide enough for the aircraft and easy to access for the wounded" Max ordered the blond agent, as he began coordinating the evacuation efforts for the wounded. Martin looked around, trying to find a safe spot for landing, and he was able to find it very easily.

"There, on the park. There's a clearing wide enough for the rotorcraft!"

"Good, take this" Max hands Martin something that the agent recognized as a strobe, technology that was maybe acceptable for the soldiers they were saving, but had fallen out of use for an agency like The Center, "signal the extraction point, I'll radio Jester in. Move it, kid."

Gritting his teeth, Martin sprinted as close as he could to the clearing without being fully exposed to incoming fire from stray aliens, and tossed the strobe into the clearing. Just a few moments later, and after returning to the rest of the group to help with wounded, he was able to listen the unmistakable whirring of a human propeller aircraft.

"Falcon, we are on approach. I see enemy aliens running, but I wouldn't count them out of the fight. Load up your guests and let's get out of here. We are on thin ice as it is, and I don't think we'll hear the end of it with M. O. M."

"Roger, Jester, we are ready when you are"

The aircraft rounded one time, then another, and finally made an approach, not completely landing, but low enough for everyone to get on board as quick as they could.

It was oddly quiet, as if the aliens had better things to do than chase. And to those who knew what was going, it was a grim prospect for the future.

* * *

"Who the hell authorized this operation?!"

Martin had seen M. O. M. angry. Real angry. But this? Oh, boy, this was different. She was pissed the hell off. If he didn't know better, he could swear she was going to grow sharp teeth and chew everyone's head off. Even Max was kind of nervous, and Martin had a solid "badass" image of him. But that didn't matter, even the coldest warrior in the world would flinch at a pissed off M. O. M.

"Not only did you conduct an unsanctioned, dare I say it, _rogue_ operation, you have exposed our existence to unvetted personnel. You eight have broken some of the top regulations of the agency, and the best you can tell me is "we heard a distress call" as an excuse? What if it was a setup? What if we had lost you all. Are you eight thick people aware that your records are the best we have in this agency? Your teams are the ones we rely the most on to deal with this situations, your reputations also help boost the morale of the people fighting for us. What was I supposed to say if you had not returned alive? How was I supposed to inspire this people to fight without people to lead them? The only reason I'm not firing you right the hell now is because of that exact same thing, I need leaders in the field. But you know what you _are_ right now? You re all suspended from field operations. Unless there's a major operation or an offensive against the enemy, you are pulled from the frontlines for the next three days. I hope that these bastards ae not in a hurry to crush us. Get the hell out of my office before I begin considering firing you all. And you" she directed her cold glare to Landers, who was expecting the hammer to come down, "you are out of commission for _two_ weeks, and instead assigned to cleaning cages duty. I have plenty of people to cover your spot, so you better think twice the next time you send one of my teams out there without my blessing".

The door to the office was opened, as if motioning the people inside to get out as soon as they could, and they took the offer as quick as they could. Once off from the elevator that led to the manager's office, everyone had a chance to breathe again, and be glad they were still alive.

"I don't believe it, we saved these guys from death and we are getting the axe? I can get M O. M. being mad at us for not going through her, but being mad about us saving them? It's frankly crazy!" Martin stated what was on everyone's head, clearly the most displeased with what had just happened.

"I get what you are saying, Martin, but The Center has rules, and we broke a good bunch of them going out there. I am not happy with M. O. M. treating us like that, but rules are rules" Diana, always the rule-lover, countered.

"Rules and orders aren't worth follow when there are lives at stake. I know you guys don't do what we do, but you'll be doing it soon enough, and you need to learn that. You don't leave people to die if you can do something about it" Max was strangely calm about the situation, almost even unfazed, even after just being extremely nervous back at M. O. M.'s office.

"I agree" James added, surprising Diana, who had thought he would have better judgement.

"What?! You can't be serious!"

"Di, I get your point, but I'll be honest with you: it's not breaking the rules which keeps me awake at night. It's the people we have failed to save or bring back home that does. No rule can erase them from my nightmares, and I can assure you Max, Annie, and Valentin feel the same way. Letting people die and justifying it with 'I followed the rules' will haunt you until the last day of your life, however short that is" his gaze had turned cold, almost like a thousand-yard stare. He wasn't able to hold his gaze against that of Diana, who could now understand Max and James' points, as much as she wanted not to.

Everyone just allowed the silence to prolong, out of respect for what had just been discussed.

"I guess we could find stuff to do around while our sentence is served" Annie ended the uncomfortable silence, although it was more directed towards Diana and the less work-invested people like Billy, Java, and, to a certain extent, Valentin (although the guy was a certified killer at best). This small group broke off from the rest, and began listing activities that they could do without further enraging M. O. M.

"I'll head off to the range. I won't be out in the field, but at least I can train. Are you guys coming?" Max invited Archer and Martin, but both of them politely declined, so he left them in the same spot. James waited until Max was out of sight, and turned towards Martin.

"Martin, I know we are not on the best terms, but I need your help with something"

"What?! Why me?"

"Because I know you can help me. As much as I trust the rest, none of them would get what I'm about to tell you"

"And what would that be?"

"That I feel like I already know one of the guys we saved, the Lieutenant. Funny thing is, I don't remember meeting him before"

"How sure are you of this? Sorry, but it sounds like a crazy conspiracy" Martin was having fun, but James was not.

"If you don't want to help me just say it, Martin. You may not think highly of me, but I do not joke with these matters…"

"Fine, fine, I'll humor you. Where do we start?" the blond gave up in defeat, rising his hands in front of him.

"The archives. I want to pull the guy's records and compare it with mine. If we met before, I don't remember, but it would surely be written down somewhere"

"We are kind of suspended, I don't think we have the clearance to go into the archives. We'll have to figure out a way to get into the room without having our search logged into the records" Martin was just slightly amused by the challenge, but Archer took the fun out of it.

"Don't worry about that"

* * *

"Are you guys nearly done? You are taking way too long!"

"Just guard the entrance, Jack, we are nearly done here. Martin, have you found my file? I've got the LT right here"

"Yep, sending it to you" Martin sent the file from his terminal to Archer's, not even bothering to read it, and instead focused on reading his own file.

"What the…" Archer muttered as soon as he opened the file.

"What's going on?"

"My file is completely redacted" Archer exclaimed softly, looking at the black markings on the computer file.

"How's that surprising? Mine is redacted too"

"No, you don't get it. _All_ of my personal information is either redacted, or missing. My parents' names, birthplace, the date when I came in here, relatives… there's none of it in here. In fact, the only thing in here is the date I joined the Special Teams and the operations I was in since then"

"That's not possible, even my file has all my personal info. Are you sure it's not corrupted?" Martin was now genuinely interested.

"A corrupted file has small parts missing. This thing is completely redacted. And take a look at this." James switched files to the Lieutenant, "his file is redacted in some strange areas. Here: the 'relatives' field has one redaction. Between this 'Brother' and "Sister' field, the redaction is way too obvious. But why erase away one relative?"

"And how does this relate to you, exactly?" Martin asked, having a hard time connecting both issues.

"The only connection I see is the extent of the redaction. We need the LT's original file… it's not going to be in The Center's servers… but the US government servers surely have it"

"I think you are chasing ghosts. Yeah, it's suspicious, but again, I don't see the connection"

"I don't either, but this is far too suspicious to just let go. I'm making a copy of these files. If you want out I won't think less of you, but I'm going down the rabbit hole"

Martin just stared at him, while Archer copied the files to a data drive and logged off the terminal. Was he really about go into a wild goose chase with a guy he barely knew, and didn't really like at all? Well, that worked for Diana, but that was her, not him.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he had to ask, just to see how committed the guy was to the futile task.

"A good idea? No! Not by a long shot, but we have three days of down time, and maybe this could be important in some way. If not, at least we uncover what Is it exactly that was redacted and why"

"Ok… I can dig it. I'm in, but we have to get _out_ of here, right about now"

"Yeah, yeah, don't be a baby, super-agent"

* * *

**A small comeback, I've been away from wrting for a long time and I just needed back in. Good news is I am on vaacations, so I guess I'll have plenty of time to wrtie. As usual, please leave your input in the reviews section and I'll see you next time.  
**


	10. An alibi

They had decided that being seen researching this matter together would arise suspicion, so they duplicated the files and kept one for each other to sift through on their own time. Archer suggested they kept to their activities, and so, Martin left for his room in Torrington to use his Center station in his research. He was not dumb, however, and had to spend more than a few hours isolating his work from the Center's tracking algorithms, lest he found himself staring down the barrel of a blaster, having to explain some very shady actions. When he was sure he could enter the agency's network anonymously, he started sifting through the data he needed. His first stop was the United States Special Operations Command network, where he did his best to dig out the Lieutenant's file. He only had his nickname to go with, but it turned out to be enough. He downloaded the file to the station, to avoid any possible tracking that the geeks for the Pentagon could do (not like it would matter, anyways), and then scanned it for the information he looked for. The redacted information turned out to be the name of a woman: Marianne Winters. It seemed pretty straightforward, but it turned out to be another wild goose chase: the name only had two things associated to it: a birth and a death certificate. Nothing else. No information on her upbringing, or academic formation. For all intents and purposes, the woman had just been born and died, she hadn't gone to school, she had never held a job, never had a family… that sounded extremely familiar…

He ran the name through the Center's network, cross-referencing it with databases from intelligences agencies… and he came up blank. The Center was supposed to know about everyone in any secret government agencies or intelligence services, and this woman showed all the markers of being an operative. So why, in heavens name, wasn't she showing up in his searches? He thought about it long and hard, until a solution dawned on him: with these many years, the old Center records probably had the information on them, but those things were _physical_ files, and probably sealed off in the agency's vault. Entering that place would be nigh impossible without raising flags at the very least. He _definitely_ wasn't going to go there for a guy he wasn't even sure he liked, even if his step-sister was all over the guy. But maybe he could look further somewhere else. Maybe try to tie pseudonyms or fake names to her, or pieces of evidence hidden in mission logs (f she worked for The Center at all) or discover information that was accidentally not redacted. In the meantime, he had to relay the few things he had learnt to Archer, maybe so the guy could actually do some of the heavy-lifting himself.

* * *

He couldn't move. He wasn't even sure if he existed at all. But just like that, he was aware of where he was and that he existed, but he might very well just be in a state of delusion. That had to be the thing, since the place that he was in right now didn't exist anymore. The flat screens in the work stations, the outdated uniforms… and there he was, again, but not like himself… he didn't remember much about his childhood, but he did keep one or two pictures of those times around. He didn't know where they'd come from, and he hadn't cared much about it until now. But right now what he owned wasn't important, the reason why he was here was what was important, but for some reason, he was no longer… well, wherever he had been. The scenery changed into a completely unknown place to him. He hadn't ever been in a place like this, but it looked familiar.

And his young self was there again, playing in a swing and having truckloads of fun. He couldn't for the life of his, remember ever being that kid, and there was no reason for him to believe that this was ever real.

But somehow, he knew it had been real.

He had been that kid, he had played in those swings. But that meant that, at some point, he had been under somebody's care, that maybe he _had_ had someone to call "mother", at the very least. If that were to be true, then why wouldn't he remember? The Center had very liberal policies when it came to memory erasing, but the extent to which this would have gone, if real, would be beyond the scope of anything done before. It would set a very dangerous precedent.

"James, come inside, dinner time!" a distorted but distinctively feminine voice called to the kid.

"But mommy! I want to play!"

"You've been playing in the swings all the morning, my boy. Come on, it's time to give it a rest, honey"

"Ok" the boy answered in defeat, appearing to direct the answer at someone he could clearly see, but Archer couldn't see anybody else besides the kid. He wanted to know more, but the scene began fading as he tried to move closer to the only other person in it. He fought hard to remain in that dream realm, but the calling back to reality was stronger than whatever psychological strength he could muster, and the dream faded from his memory a soon as he found himself staring at the roof of his bunk, only the face of Annie breaking the uniformity of the view.

"Hey, Arch, are you ok? You were tossing and turning, and I swear I could hear you screaming all the way to my room" the young woman asked, sitting on a chair across from him. The small room allowed for her to remain at arm's reach, and such, she was able to see every little detail as he went from sleepiness to alert, and then to doubt, mixed with a little worry, "how do you feel? You look a little… off."

"I'm fine. How did you.." he started to ask, but she smiled sheepishly and held a set of electronic lock picks for him to see, never you mind. Was it really that bad?"

"Yes, it's a little unusual. I know you have recurring nightmares, but this was a tad worse. I never heard you creaming before"

"Yeah well, I don't know why I would be screaming, the nightmares weren't bad enough for that." He answered truthfully, going for a small fridge here he kept a jug of clean, fresh water handy. He poured a glassful for himself and one for his guest, and while he downed his glass she just looked at him carefully, studying his actions.

"Perhaps you were thinking about what we talked yesterday?" she offered, drinking just out of courtesy. She would push and hammer the point across as much as she could, because she cared about him, and perhaps about Diana too. And while there was little opportunity of that being related to this, she wouldn't budge.

"You're gonna keep pestering me about that, right?" he deadpanned, at which she just smiled as innocently as she could, while pretending to look elsewhere. He looked around too, scanning for any other disturbances, setting his sight in the certainly-foreign envelope resting in his desk, "what's that?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't know, I found it under your door when I came in. Maybe a love letter?" she teased despite having advocated for him to reevaluate the whole "relationship" thing just seconds ago, "none of my business, though. I'll go back to bed. Will you be better off if I stay?"

"That would be pretty weird, all things considered… ah, I see where you are going, now"

"Don't start having funny ideas, darling. I'm just asking out of concern"

"I'm ok, you may leave in peace"

"Ok then. G' Night"

"G' Night

He was alone again in no time making sure the door was locked before cutting open the envelope with the smoked blade of his personal knife. Inside he found the files that he had requested from Mystery. It seemed like the young agent was exceptionally gifted. A true agent, born into the job. But apparently, there was a limit to what he could achieve.

It was a good time as any to test the young agent's theory. Archer just hopped that he wouldn't get caught, because that would be a hell of a lot weird to explain.

* * *

"What are you guys doing here?" Martin asked, not even aware that Diana, Billy, and Java were still in the school. He had figured they would go downtown, to enjoy civilization before it was blown up by the aliens trying to take over.

"It's movie night, Martin. I thought you would be pumped, seeing how it's the only thing we can do that's remotely connected to the paranormal" his step-sister responded, carrying two loaded buckets of popcorn, while Java carried in a collection of DVDs that they got from their personal collections.

"Frankly, I kindda forgot…" he admitted sheepishly, then quickly closing the door behind them and dashing towards the Center terminal to hide it back in the wall. He was sure he could, at least, trust Diana with it, but he would rather not have to explain any of his actions. The group settled in and got comfortable, Martin deciding to let Diana choose the first movie (probably some cheesy romantic movie, or an artsy "independent" film), while his thoughts were still running at a thousand miles per hour, working on the many possibilities and implications that his digging around could have. He didn't even get much of the movie, a romantic comedy of sorts that had the others laughing their faces off, but he only faked it when he heard the laughter rising, still deep in thought about what exactly he had been conned into.

After two movies and half of another, everyone started dozing off, eventually falling asleep where they sat. While he knew Java would be fine, and Billy's shell would not let him feel much in the way of pain, Diana was a different story. He pulled his only clean pillow from his closet and helped her lay in a comfortable position. It was hard for him. He would never be able to see her as anything but the annoying sister that was always interfering and pestering him. Yet, he could really make the argument that he would do pretty much anything to make her happy, and perhaps that was why he had accepted helping her boyfriend. There, he admitted it, Diana had a boyfriend. Their parents would ask how and when did that happened, but he wouldn't be doing the explaining to them. His dad was probably going to lose it. And her mom? Stella McArthur (formerly Lombard) had always been proud of her daughter's clear goals, and she would probably have doubts about what this "relationship" things meant for Diana.

But then again, it was none of his business. He would take her side if needed be, that much he was sure about.

* * *

For a secret agency that monitored all alien and paranormal activity, The Center did NOT have a decent night security. Perhaps it was confidence that they had only been breached a couple of times since their inception, or just the sheer lack of personnel to keep the area secured at all times, but either way, it was a sloppy job. He had been able to breach the biometric security lock by the Archive's door with ease, and was now roaming the tall file cabinets looking for the records of one Marianne Winters. He hadn't ever been used to this, since he had started his services in an already-digital Center, but it was easy enough to deduce that the letters in front of every cabinet were categories for alphabetical storage, so he quickly browsed for letter W, for Winters. After 5 minutes, he found it on the further most sector of the place. While the lighting was tenuous at best, his using of Omega Googles made the padlock-picking easy, along with being able to read any file he might encounter. There were many, probably hundreds of files, so he quickly browsed towards "Wi", and then he went slower until he found the file he needed.

"Come to papa" he muttered, until cut by the rumbling of people quickly converging on him. They had either been waiting for him, or had detected his entrance before finding the file. Either way, he was moving as soon as he was able to. No time to lock the padlock or close the cabinet even, he ran using the cabinets for concealment, staying out of sight from the assaulting agents.

"I see no intruder, are you sure about the alarm?"

"Sensors picked up unauthorized entry and movement, over there. Stay close"

Both agents, along with five others, combed the area, looking for someone (or something) they didn't know the identity of. While they were very efficient (as any of their peers should be), they were trying to hunt a person that had lived most of his life learning how to infiltrate, evade, and escape, among other less-than-common skills, a person that could easily kill them with a sheet of paper. These abilities helped him evade the motion sensors, all the while looking for a way out, until he found himself going for the door, where only two guards remained. His hand reached into his pocket and pulled out his 100 lumen tac-light, pointing it outside the doorway, shining it bright outside and blinding the darkness-accustomed guards. While they covered their eyes and recoiled from the blindness, he struck the nearest one in the gut, then swiftly delivering an open-palmed strike on the second agent's mouth. With confidence he sprinted away, barely evading the security cameras he remembered to be setup in the Comms area, where he activated a portal out of the place and into Torrington Town.

* * *

Diana had found her way to her room after waking up very early in the morning, about 2:30 a.m., and was ready to just lay on her bed and call it a night when she heard tapping in her window. Any normal teenager would be disturbed or scared by it, but being a supernatural investigator had desensitized her towards thing that went bump in the night. She just walked carefully towards the glass and stole a peek at what could be outside. When she realized who it was, she immediately pulled the window open.

"What in the world you think you are doing here?" she asked to the man as he jumped inside her room and closed the window behind him. Her tone was a combination of surprise and frank happiness.

"Sorry, did I interrupt anything?" he sheepishly asked, realizing that he was invading _her_ room.

"Not exactly, I was going to bed. It's not like I'm not thrilled for having you here, but…" she instinctively yawned, "it's pretty early in the morning, you know?"

Archer just looked around before pulling out the file he had just stolen from behind his back.

"I know, and I'm sorry… but I need help, and I can't think of someone I can't trust the most with this Your brother helped a bit before, but I don't think he would like to risk his career as an agent to help me…"

"Wait, Martin helped you? He actually got along with you enough to _help_ you?" she asked, not entirely convinced that her selfish, annoying step-brother had actually helped someone out of generosity.

"Yeah, although he did it more out of getting the kicks from the puzzle than anything else, I suppose"

He started to recount the story from the beginning, believing her to not know anything about it. While she kept a straight face as he progressed with the tale, deep inside her brain she was panicking. She had promised that she wouldn't tell him anything, but it seemed like she didn't have to. He was pulling some dangerous threads, and he didn't even know half of it.

"So… you are telling me that The Center is now after you?" she asked, perplexed. If that was the case, then they didn't have much time. The Center was known for being very efficient at what they did, and hunting individuals was one of such things.

"Not exactly. They know security was breached, and that they should be searching for someone, but they never saw my face, and I scrambled the sensor grid of the place" he answered, slightly proud of himself.

"How did you… no, never mind, the less I know the better for you. James…" she looked at him pleadingly, "you are playing with fire in here. You've already attacked _two_ Center agents following this, and you don't even know _what _it is that you are looking for!"

"I know, Di, I'm aware I'm running blind in here, but I _know_ that I'm close to something. Trust me, please?" he asked, motioning the file towards her. Diana looked blankly at it, then at him, sighing and grudgingly taking it.

"Fine, but not tonight. We have to stash it somewhere where the Center security won't find it if they come to talk to us. And an alibi for you."

"What did you have in mind?" he asked, truly perplexed. He was, indeed, a babe in the woods when it came to _real_ interactions with women.

"Just… go to the bed and give me a sec, alright?", she asked, a bit flustered and embarrassed about what was going to happen. He turned out to be pretty obedient, even while being led by someone who had never led a team for more than a few hours total. He was fidgeting and looking around, the realization that he was in the room of the person that had, not long ago, become his… girlfriend? Yeah, no, it was still hard to grasp the concept, so he'd leave it the way it was. The sound of what he assumed to be the bathroom opening called his attention, and he stiffened when he saw Diana again. She wore a silky-looking night gown that was really making him uncomfortable and her blush madly.

"Lay back down" she practically commanded, while making room for herself.

"I beg for your pardon?" he dumbly asked in mumbles, looking at her wide eyed.

"It's your cover. It's just that, I promise. You asked me to trust you and now I ask you to trust me, ok?" she almost managed to say all that with a straight face, and that seemed to make him slightly less uncomfortable. So he obeyed, reluctantly, and laid himself in the bed, Diana following closely and laying her head on his chest. She could listen and feel his agitated heartbeat and breathing. It was amusing, and she couldn't avoid smiling and giggling to herself.

"I think this is a bad idea" he muttered, heard just fine by Diana.

"It's fine, just relax, Mr. Worrymuch"

"Fine. You are not expecting me to actually sleep, right?"

"Just close your eyes, dummy. Sleep will come soon enough"

It sure did for her, but he remained awake for a while. The nerves died down soon enough, but his preoccupations now ran all the way to keeping his ass safe from the agents that would come sniff around. And probably Martin Mystery, if he found him in here with his sister.

Wonderful.

* * *

**I love awkwardness. Anyways, if you liked this chapter (and even if you didn't) please leave a review with your thoughts, I appreciate them. See ya around.  
**


	11. Before I go

"Open up!" came from behind the locked door, along with heavy knocking that threatened to knock the door off its hinges.

Diana was out of bed first, followed by Archer as he rubbed his eye lids with his hands and stayed away from the door, already knowing it would burst open any time. It flung inwards almost as soon as they were on their feet, and two Center security officers barged in, keeping an eye on them as they nearly instantly started looking for something. At the room's threshold, the familiar form of their boss looked inside, first at Diana, who looked away and folded her arms in front of herself, and then to Archer, who didn't know what to do at all, and looked away from her steely gaze too. Not a single word was spoken until the two officers were done turning the whole room upside-down. They were quite proficient at it, and Diana's mind drifted away a bit at the prospect of there being a 'trashing rooms' course at the Center's academy.

"It's clear ma'am" one of the officers directed at M.O.M., who only then took a step inside, once again eyeing both of her subordinates.

"I will deal with… this, later" both of them knew what she meant, and couldn't avoid feeling warm in the face, "We had a breach of security on our archives. The suspect knew exactly how to skirt past our defenses, and knew the patrol patterns of our guards. It was one of ours. The only people I couldn't account for were you two, though now I know why. I want you two, and only you, in my office in an hour. Don't make me come looking for you again"

As soon as she had appeared, she was gone, leaving only Martin behind, who then directed his attention to both of the people still in the room.

"What the hell is going on in here?" he asked, giving James the stink-eye and an inquiring one to his step-sister.

"None of your business" she answered after sighing, going back inside her bathroom to change into… actual clothes.

"What did you do?" he seethed at James, who had remained silent all the time.

"Nothing. It was her idea. In case you hadn't noticed, I broke into the Archives. Needed an alibi"

"If you _touched_ her…"

"Martin! I didn't! I promise. Nothing happened, okay?" now Archer was kind of annoyed. The blond agent had a right to not trust him, but this was taking it too far.

Diana came out almost as soon as she had gone in, putting herself between both men to avoid any conflict.

"Could you drop it, Martin? We didn't do anything, and we have even worse problems right now. So please, either help us or give us a break so we can think about what just happened. Please."

Martin just looked at the both of them and sighed in frustration, leaving the room almost immediately.

"And that takes care of one problem" she said loud enough to be heard by James.

"Yeah, well, I don't think he's got a high opinion of me after all this" he mused, not taking a single step away from her, and she hadn't done so either.

"Well, that's his problem, I know I do. You were a stand-up guy last night; many men would have tried their hand at… well, something else. Thanks." She meant it. Over the last few months, it seemed like every teenager in Torrington had a sudden urge to have as much sex in as little time as possible. Some guys had tried to score with her, perhaps thinking that she would be needy enough to give in, only to be shown the contrary with a swift kick in their soft areas. At that point, she was convinced no man would drop the pig act to pursue something serious. And then she was proved wrong, and would never feel any more grateful ever again.

"I… uhm… no problem?" he mumbled, looking stupidly adorable to Diana, who just giggled softly and presented him with the flash of a kiss.

"Come on, we have somewhere to be, and M. O. M. will, literally, kill us if we don't get there in time"

* * *

The silence had crossed the border between 'awkward' and 'dangerous' a while ago. Neither the young Agent nor the grown-up Operative said a word, instead just sat in silence and watched as the Manager of The Center attended to the device in her ear, not looking at them. The moment the couple had arrived to her office, M. O. M. had simply motioned for them to sit in front of her desk, not cutting the communication channel she had been attending before. The conversation had gone on for a good ten minutes, and both of them were feeling like she was doing it on purpose, to annoy them.

After another five minutes, the head of the Agency was done, and swiveled her chair slightly to look directly at both of them. Her eyes looked tired, but the iciness they usually conveyed was still there, and it was intimidating.

"I have a lot on my platter right now, and I can't afford to waste my time with such trivial matters. I'll make it simple for you two: you have one exact week to decide between this job and whatever it is I saw this morning. You both know the rules, fraternization goes only so far in this Agency, and you went far beyond the acceptable limit. One. Week."

Both agents did their best to not look at each other, instead focusing on their boss right in front of them. Diana felt rage starting to brew slowly inside of her, but kept her face as neutral as possible.

_How can you talk of regulation and policy after all you've done?! You are the _last_ person that should be giving me, or anyone for that matter, a lecture on policy or even ethics. _

This was, of course, not said out loud, not wanting to make the situation any worse than it already was, but it was already eating at her, and just seeing Archer _so calm_ out of the corner of her eye was also unnerving. Because she knew better, she knew that he was already thinking about this whole situation even when she was barely able to process it entirely.

"You are barely into your suspension period, so go and figure it out" she casually ordered, returning to her duties as both of her employees left the room in varying degrees of mild shock. When they finally stepped on the elevator, she let an air of disgust and frustration, while he just limited himself to try and calm her at the best of his capacities. The girl was more than miffed, and while he could understand that she didn't like to be reprimanded for something that seemed so trivial, he couldn't get why she was _this_ angry. It was borderline irrational, to him, and however limited his knowledge of her was, he had been sure of one thig: Diana Lombard didn't do "irrational".

"Di, you're acting really weird on this. Why are you so worked over this issue? I get that you could be upset of being reprimanded, but why to this extent? Is there something I should know?"

_YES! There's a lot you should know! And if you did you would be just as pissed off as I am!_

But of course, she had given her word to keep her mouth shut about it.

"It's just…" her mind was working to craft a credible excuse, "I've rarely broken any of the agency's rules, and Martin's always bending or flat-out ignoring them and making their own. He never gets punished like this."

It wasn't, technically, a lie, she was partly annoyed at that too, but it was a good cover nonetheless. Even so, hiding it from him was excruciating, she felt like something was eating at her from the inside, and she would know such sensation, dealing with the paranormal for most of her teenage years.

"Look, as I told you, I get it, but you need to calm down before you do something stupid out of impulse. We'll… we'll figure something out. If not, I'll take the cue and leave…"

"Oh, no, you won't. For starters, you wouldn't survive outside this agency for a week. No offense…"

"None taken"

"Second, if someone has to leave it will be me. I insisted on this whole mess and the cover idea was mine too. Plus, this was not exactly what I had in mind as an everyday occupation. So… I guess… that decides i?"

"Well… you do sound pretty sure of this. But before anything else, can you help me with… the other thing?" he carefully avoided being any more specific, fully knowing the fact that they were being monitored (as usual) by The Center.

"Are you sure this is the right time for that?" she asked, flawlessly masking the sheer fear and nervousness that the truth caused to her. She hadn't stopped to fully grasp what would happen when he found out what M. O. M. had done. Or what would happen when he learned that she had known all along.

"Yeah. Before anything else happens, at least I want that to be done with that. I get a feeling that it might be important." The tone in his voice had gone slightly serious, and he was surely determined to see it through.

All she could do was stall, and even that was very risky.

_Somebody please kill me!_

* * *

"Ok, Java hold it right there!"

If there was one thing Martin hadn't given up while growing up, then it was his antics. If anything, he had stepped up on some of them. The current one was a terribly common one.

"Ok, Java, a little bit to the right" he instructed, as the caveman moved the flat-screen TV he was lugging in his arms a bit to the right as Martin had told him.

"Martin think this good idea?" Java once again asked, like every time the young man did this.

"Don't worry, Jav, what could Diana possibly do?"

"Skin you alive so you stop taking my frigging TV!" he heard from the threshold of his room, as Diana had thrown open the door and was now looking at him with death in her eyes.

"Relax, Di, I'll have it returned by tomorrow" he dismissed absentmindedly, lying back on his bed with his hands behind his head.

"Oh, you little…" she was about to smack him around the head when she felt two hands grip her lightly by her shoulders, inviting her to stop.

"Not worth it, Di, trust me" another male voice addressed his irate sister, one that Martin had heard a tad too much of lately.

_Seems like they are serious about this._

"It is for me. Anyways. Lift your ass off that bed, I want you to help with this" she instructed, setting the old-fashioned plain folder on her brother's desk.

"So you did take that file off The Center's old archive?! You have any idea how much trouble we'll be facing if M. O. M. finds that thing in here and can tie it to us?"

"At this point I'm already on M. O. M. 's bad side, so that would make no difference at all for me. And… time is of the essence right now"

"Wowowowowow! What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Martin jumped up at the statement, having not heard such talk out of her ever since the CIHL debacle. Diana and Archer both looked at each other, as if to discuss if they should tell them, and seemingly decided to agree on telling the truth.

"After this morning's misunderstanding, M. O. M. ordered us to choose who of us is resigning. We have two days"

No one made a follow up comment. Martin would normally make a joke or something to lighten the mood up, but he was still trying to wrap his mind around the idea.

"You are not leaving The Center… are you?" he was able to ask, sitting at the edge of the bed while the shock passed.

"A life of paranormal investigation wasn't my idea of a career, Martin, that's yours. I'll be able to survive outside The Center, unlike any of the other people present in this room. Now, can we be done with this?" she dismissed the whole affair, opening the file that not a single one of them had analyzed since its acquisition.

"So here it is. Marianne Winters, born December 10th, 1986, in Seattle, Washington. Homeschooled most of her young life, recruited into The Center at age 14, for which her… death was faked… Her name was changed to Helen McArthur. Remained a special agent like us for most of her career until July 9th,2000. The Center considered her Missing in Action and searched for two months. After that they were forced to declare her Killed in Action. There's a next of kin in here, but no name. There's also a Marriage Certificate attached, so she was married to one… Frederick Archer…"

It couldn't be a coincidence. Sure, many people probably shared the same surname, he couldn't pretend like it was the most original one in the world, but how many of those people could be related to this one person, and how many of those would be the proper age to be related to him closely? It was far too convenient.

"Are you saying that. He might be… but then she would…" the ideas in his mind were racing too fast for him to articulate a full sentence. And the funny thing is none of both names meant anything to him. There was no sense of familiarity that average people had upon hearing the names of their parents. There was only the shock of learning something that he didn't know before, and even to someone like him it was quite suspicious.

"Are you ok?" Diana asked, looking up to him from her seat on Martin's desk.

"Yeah… I'm… I'm ok, I think. So… the Lieutenant is related to… you know..."

"I remember her being listed as his sister, does that file confirm the fact?" Martin pipped in, deciding that he would delay the inevitable conversation he needed to have with his sister on her leaving.

"Well, there is a Donald Winters listed in here, sounds familiar?"

"No"

"How about Ian Winters?"

"That one does, it's the Lieutenant's name. So that confirms what we just found out. Marianne is your mother, and the Lieutenant is your uncle. But if she's… gone, what about your father, Frederick?" Martin had, of course, not discovered anything related to such things, since the names had been a secret back then, so his questions reflected what everyone else was thinking.

"I don't know… but maybe the Lieutenant knows. Can you access the mainframe and find out where he's being kept? I'm thinking that a family visit is in order"

"I'll do it. Just give me a second to disconnect Center tracking" Diana typed faster than Martin, that's for sure. She would, of course, chalk it up to the hours, even days, that she had spent studying at a time, "Here he is. He'll remain at the Center's "Guest House" wing along with his team. The guards have logged in a couple of comments on how he's not very happy about the arrangement. I guess that withholding the whereabouts of his wounded team members is not doing us any favors…"

"Where are they?"

"The medical wing, but in an isolated section to keep them in the dark. Some of them are still in bad shape and will need a few days to be in a state where they can be moved out of intensive care. Maybe you can trade your knowledge for his?" Diana suggested, transferring a copy of the video feed to her phone and handing it to Archer, who nodded thoughtfully.

"Is there anything I should be worried about in the 'Guest House'? My guess is that security must have been amped up since my one-man raid at the Archive"

"There are some extra guards, but only that. Their guarding pattern is random, and I'm sure they won't be very welcoming to anybody who shouldn't be there. You could try to sneak inside, but I don't see it happening. Or we could falsify clearance for you to waltz right in without effort"

Okay, she was being a little smug about her abilities, a little too much for the current situation. But she was _that_ good, and Archer seemed to think highly of them. And her.

"Okay, now that's cool. And incredibly attractive"

Well, if there was something that would make her blush that day, that was it.

"Ahem…" these two lovebirds made Martin cringe a lot, "save it for your own room, sis"

* * *

**I was away for way too much time, I hope this doesn't happen again but I wouldn't hold my breath. Anyways, if you liked this chapter reviews are welcome, hopefully more updates can come more often.  
**


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